Europe could face trucking capacity shortages in 2011, according to a leading forwarder.

Speaking exclusively to IFW, Dirk Reich, Executive VP for contract logistics, rail and road logistics at Kuehne + Nagel (KN), said 2010 had been problematic and demand for capacity would further increase this year.

"The scarcity of trucking capacity in Europe throughout 2010 was a major challenge,” he said."“The resulting upward pressure on market prices has been mitigated [by KN] through intensified central purchasing and network management.

"Overall trucking utilisation will increase in 2011, given the strong macro-economic development.

"However, lessons learned from the sharp economic downturn will lead to a very cautious build-up of capacity and, thus, we do not expect supply to exceed demand in the near future.”

Reich argued that the ability to offer integrated logistics solutions, including trucking services, would allow operators like KN to grow further in European overland markets in 2011.

"Customers show an increased demand for integrated logistics services, as well as industry specific solutions. We are confident this will create good business opportunities.

"KN will be one of the first companies to introduce a fully climate neutral transportation product – KN Euro-Line Climate Neutral – and we see strong market demand for this.”

Source: ifw