In 2014, a total of 1,840 million tons of cargo were transported, according to data from Statistics Poland (GUS). This represents a 0.4% decrease compared to 2013. This decline affected almost all modes of transport: rail, road, pipeline, and maritime.
Growth in furniture transport
The report “Road transport in Poland in 2012-2013” published by GUS in May 2015 shows a very interesting trend in freight transport. Between 2012 and 2013, Polish transport companies recorded the highest growth in the transport of furniture and wood. In 2013, Polish carriers transported nearly 16 million tons of cargo in the form of furniture. Compared to the previous year, furniture transport increased by a record 42%, and wood by 22%! Conversely, a significant decline was recorded in the group of cargoes related to hard coal and lignite.
– Year after year, we observe an increase in transport orders related to furniture, so it was no surprise to us that this cargo group enjoyed the largest growth in 2013 – says Michał Brzeziński,
founder of the transport exchange Clicktrans.pl.
Germany losing importance, Lithuania growing
For many years, Germany has held the top spot in Polish imports and exports; however, in 2013, for the first time since 2010, imports of cargo from Germany fell. Meanwhile, exports to our western neighbor have been growing steadily year-on-year, reaching over 24 million tons in 2013. Interestingly, in 2013, Poland recorded an 80% increase in imports from Lithuania compared to the previous year! The importance of our southern neighbors is also growing slowly but steadily, as evidenced by the increase in exports to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Currently, the Czech Republic is the second country, alongside Germany, to which Poland exports the most cargo.
Decrease in empty runs
It is particularly noteworthy that the number of empty runs in Polish transport has decreased for another consecutive year, from 22% in 2012 to 21% in 2013. In recent years, we have observed a downward trend, which means that carriers are increasingly optimizing their transport operations.
– It is very promising that we are seeing a decrease in empty runs for another year. In domestic transport, empty runs fell to 33%, and in international transport to 13%. There is still a lot of room for improvement, especially in domestic transport, but we hope that this trend will continue – says Michał Brzeziński from the transport exchange Clicktrans.pl.