Collapse of the traffic management? Klacska warns of new toll load!

Collapse of the traffic management? Klacska warns of new toll load!

The traffic management in Austria is under immense pressure. Alexander Klacska, chairman of the federal division transport and traffic in the WKÖ recently described the alarming situation in the industry. Companies are faced with rising costs, while the income drops drastically. A current economic survey shows that the assessment of the business situation in the second quarter of 2025 is worse than at the beginning of the year. Only 58 % of the companies surveyed from the mobility industry consider their order stock to be sufficient, a decrease of 6 % compared to the beginning of the year.

An urgent problem is the inadequate demand that every third transport company cites as the primary business disability. The areas of freight transport and freight forwarder in particular have to struggle with dissatisfied inquiries - here 40 % of the respondents report on a sometimes significant decline. The demand expectations for the next three months are also slightly negative and indicate a worrying development.

rising costs and toll rates

A central factor for the current challenges is the increased increased truck toll, which is already 3.5 percent of the total cost index. According to the Verkehrsrundschau , the average shipping costs have increased by 3.9 percent last year, the toll costs of 83 percent of this increase. Klacska warns of further planned increases of the truck toll by 10 to 13 %that could endanger the economic survival of many companies.

The stress by the toll and the mineral oil tax are not the only factors that lead to the cost explosion. The transport industry is also faced with rising personnel costs that make up around 50 percent of the total costs. The material costs, although they have decreased slightly for the first time in years, also contribute to the unstable situation. However, a decline in energy costs was not enough to significantly alleviate the financial burdens. Forecasts for the future indicate that the cost increases will stop in general cargo logistics.

negative trends in transport

In addition to the financial challenges, infrastructural problems are threatened by rail blocks, as in the case of Deutsche Bahn near Passau and the lock of the ÖBB-Tauern tunnel. These management problems cause additional costs and inconvenience for the transport companies. Klacska emphasizes that Austria already has the highest driving performance -dependent toll in the EU, which further affects the competitiveness of domestic companies.

A look at the new registrations of trucks and tractor -trailer vehicles shows an alarming decline by 21 % from January to May 2025 compared to the previous year. A trend that already emerged in 2024 when the new registrations decreased by 0.5 %. This directly influences the future performance and flexibility of the industry. According to Statista , a considerable part of the freight transport was already carried out in Germany in 2022, which illustrates the dependency on road traffic.

In an industry that traditionally suffers from high costs, experts warn of the impending load limit. Klacska calls for an urgent review of the current toll attachments and a fairer distribution of operating loads to ensure the vitality of the transport sector, which is of crucial importance for the economy.