TRIESTE – Over the past ten years, the road haulage sector has lost more than 2,500 firms across Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. In Veneto, active companies fell by 2,142 units, from 8,808 in 2015 to 6,666 in 2025 (-24.3%). Over the same period, Friuli Venezia Giulia recorded a reduction of 449 firms, from 1,473 to 1,024 (-30.5%).
The figures place both regions among the most penalized nationwide. Veneto shows a contraction above the Italian average (-22.2%), while Friuli Venezia Giulia is among the regions with the sharpest declines, alongside Valle d’Aosta, Marche, Lazio and Sardinia. Moving against the trend is Trentino-Alto Adige, the only region with a positive balance over the decade.
This downsizing of the entrepreneurial base has taken place in an environment made increasingly difficult by rising fixed costs. Higher motorway tolls (+1.5%) and road diesel (+3.6%) have had a direct impact on budgets, especially for smaller firms. According to estimates by CGIA Mestre’s Research Office, for the smallest operators each heavy vehicle could face an average additional annual burden of around €2,000 for fuel alone, all else being equal.
These factors add to long-standing structural issues, starting with late payments. On this front, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has intervened with a circular reminding clients to comply with payment terms, providing for penalties of up to 10% of annual turnover in the most serious cases. Rising costs and tighter liquidity are putting the financial resilience of many firms under pressure.
Over the decade, economic crises and competition from foreign hauliers—particularly from Eastern Europe, widely present in the Triveneto—have also played a role. A significant factor has been consolidation and acquisition processes, which have markedly reduced the number of single-vehicle firms. The result is a sector with fewer companies, but on average more structured and with higher productivity levels.
Looking at territorial detail, in 2025 in Veneto Verona is the province with the highest number of active road haulage firms (1,573), followed by Padua (1,504) and Treviso (1,094). If the trend over the last decade is considered, however, Belluno records the steepest percentage contraction (-34%), followed by Treviso (-30%), Rovigo (-28.9%) and Venice (-28.7%). In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the sharpest drop is in Gorizia (-35.1%), ahead of Trieste (-33.2%), Udine (-29.5%) and Pordenone (-29.3%).
The sharp reduction in the number of firms confirms a structural trend: road haulage remains a key sector for the North-East economy, but increasingly less accessible for smaller operators, squeezed by rising costs, competition and operational difficulties.
