According to Panteia, the cost of transport-related activities such as inbound handling, storage and outbound handling will increase by an average of 5.7% in 2026. Its forecast for 2027 is 4.2% excluding energy and 4.3% including the expected development of energy costs.
Panteia calculates the development using Activity Based Costing. It includes personnel, premises, equipment, handling tools and other expenses, so the figures cover more than wage or energy increases alone.
The results apply to Dutch transport companies with storage activities. They are not an automatic pricing recommendation or a direct benchmark for every fulfilment centre or cold store. Process mix, occupancy, automation and energy intensity determine the actual change in cost.
For shippers and webshops, the figures are most useful as a reference when assessing new fulfilment rates and indexation proposals. A provider should still be able to connect an increase to the services actually purchased.