Report ranks DB Schenker No. 1 in Europe
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German freight giant DB Schenker is the largest overland transport operator in Europe, according to new rankings released by Transport Intelligence.
When taking into account all road and rail freight revenues, Schenker proved to be almost twice the size of its nearest rival, SNCF (Transport & Logistics) in second place. DHL Freight was in third.
Even removing rail freight transport (but not rail forwarding) revenues, DB Schenker remains the number 1 player. On this ranking, DHL moves up into second place followed by Danish road freight operator DSV.
The report also provides details of the growth of the European market as a whole, as well as on an individual country basis. At the European level Ti established that the market grew by 3.8% in 2008. This was influenced by growth in volumes in the early part of the year and rising fuel prices. The slump in volumes which road and rail freight operators have experienced in the second half of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 will mean that it will take to 2012 for the market to recover.
Ti CEO John Manners-Bell said: "Although 2008 saw reasonable headline growth rates, this was predominantly as a result of a surge in the oil price which most freight operators will have found impossible to fully pass on to clients. The market in Western Europe was then hit by dramatically falling volumes in the second half although some countries in Eastern Europe have held up well."
Commenting in the report on the state of the industry, Manners-Bell went on to say, "The freight industry is experiencing a prolonged and painful downturn. It seems particularly unfair that whilst banks and automotive manufacturers are being bailed out by governments, thousands of employees in the transport sector are losing their jobs with barely a mention. The fragmented nature of the industry has led to it largely being ignored. However with many good companies going out of business, burdened by the social costs and taxes which governments have heaped upon them in the boom years, economic recovery will be slower than otherwise would have been the case. The danger is many good people will be lost from the industry for good."
