Same Van. Same Route. Completely Different Outcome.

Part 2 of our weekly series on the 1 July 2026 changes

In the second part of our series on the upcoming changes in light commercial transport, we focus on the two areas that will have the greatest impact on your daily logistics operations: costs and transport planning.

 Why Will Costs Increase Drastically?

A van’s fixed costs-  driver wages, leasing, insurance, and administrative expenses-  remain exactly the same regardless of how many kilometres it covers. The core challenge is that the new regulations will reduce productive vehicle mileage by approximately 30–40%.

• The Scale Effect: The exact same fixed costs will now have to be spread across significantly fewer kilometres.
• Added Expenses: Operators will also face the immediate costs of purchasing tachographs and ensuring compliance with the new legal requirements.
• The Bottom Line: Consequently, the cost per kilometre for a single-driver van may increase by as much as 45%.

Please Note: This is not a strategic pricing decision made by carriers; it is a direct, mathematical consequence of the new regulations.

A Shift in Loading and Transit Times

Today, a driver can easily unload in the morning, take a break, reload in the evening, and continue driving overnight.

From 1 July, this operating model will often no longer be legally possible. After a morning unloading, the driver must take a mandatory 11-hour rest period.

What does this look like in practice? If a vehicle unloads at 11:00, it cannot legally reload at 19:00. The earliest possible restart would be around 23:00.

For shippers, this creates three inevitable scenarios:

1. Earlier unloading times to better fit into strict operational windows.
2. Collection of the shipment the following day (adding approximately 24 hours to the overall transit time).
3. An additional charge for a vehicle standing idle while waiting for its scheduled loading slot.

What Does This Mean for Your Business?

The key advantage of vans – immediate availability and fast, door-to-door delivery- will be significantly reduced. Transport planning will become more critical than ever, and vehicle availability for urgent shipments may be heavily limited, particularly during the first weeks after the new rules take effect.

What Should You Watch Out For Right Now?

If you are currently receiving transport quotes at or near today’s rates, we strongly advise exercising caution. After 1 July, these prices may simply no longer be sustainable. As a result, carriers may be forced to suddenly increase rates, fail to fulfil commitments, or exit the market altogether.

What Should You Do Now?

• Review your current transport flows.
• Separate shipments that genuinely require express delivery from those that can be consolidated or moved with a longer lead time.

Taking these steps today will help you prepare for the upcoming changes and protect your budget from unnecessary costs.

In our upcoming updates, we will present the available transport alternatives and explain their impact on cost, transit time, and reliability.

Best regards,

Interlogis Team