Transport demand increased by 30.27% in the week commencing 30th March, as the industry sought to outpace the traditional Easter rush, according to TEG's Road Transport Index.
The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply recently warned that rising transport, energy and raw material costs could drive consumer goods prices higher in 2026. With the Strait of Hormuz disrupted and fuel prices volatile, it would be easy to assume global factors are reshaping UK road freight.
TEG's data suggests otherwise. In March, the dominant force remained domestic: Easter.
The loss of two consecutive working days coupled with heightened consumer spending over public holidays typically drives a spike in transport demand, and 2026 figures follow this familiar trend.
In the final week of March, daily loads posted on the TEG platform jumped 30% as businesses scrambled to move freight before the long weekend. Across the month, platform volumes were up 29.5% on March 2025.
Beyond the short-term spike in activity, TEG's data pointed to a broader shift in how businesses source transport capacity. Rather than expanding their own fleets, more operators appeared to be turning to the open market, using platforms like TEG to flex up when demand tightens and scale back when it eases.
Sam Wilkinson, Chief Revenue Officer, TEG: "The UK economy grew 0.1% last quarter. Consumer confidence is in deeply negative territory. Yet our platform volumes are up nearly 30%. That tells you something. When costs are rising and volatility is the norm, businesses can't afford to sit on fixed capacity they may not need. They're coming to the open market because it lets them scale up when demand spikes and pull back when it doesn't. And it's not a one-sided story. Carriers are winning too. They're accessing demand they'd never reach through their own networks, and filling trucks that would otherwise run empty."
The businesses best positioned can flex both ways: up when demand tightens, down when it eases. That takes large carrier networks, operational flexibility, and the right data.
Easter created uncertainty again this year. The patterns are predictable. The businesses that acted on the data were the ones that stayed ahead.
TEG is exhibiting at Multimodal on stand 7070
