Europe’s New Logistics Geography: The Rise of East-West Routes
For decades, Germany has been the undisputed industrial and logistical engine of Europe. However, in recent years, the economic center of gravity has begun to tilt significantly eastward, led by nations such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania.
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This shift is more than just a trend; it is a profound economic restructuring driven by the search for lower operational costs through nearshoring. This phenomenon has funneled massive foreign direct investment from Western Europe into the East.
A key figure: trade volume between Germany and its eastern neighbors has grown exponentially, proving that a large portion of production destined for the EU market now originates east of the Elbe River. A recent study by KPMG and the Ost-Ausschuss (January 2025) reveals that German companies are pivoting their investment strategies: 19% of German firms considered relocating production to the East in 2025, with the preferred destinations being Poland (37%), Hungary (32%), and the Czech Republic (26%).
Consequently, Poland has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse, absorbing production in key sectors—such as automotive, electronics, and home appliances—that were historically based in Germany. Furthermore, its excellent geographical position and heavy investment in infrastructure have consolidated the East as a strategic logistical hub, creating massive trade volumes along the West-East axis.
Poland: The Cross-Trade Giant
The Polish fleet is, by far, the most active on EU routes. Its capacity is defined by a massive volume of tonne-kilometres (tkm), meaning its trucks not only carry more but do so over much longer distances.
According to the latest Eurostat data, the Polish fleet transported a total of 368 billion tkm in 2024. While Germany (280 billion) and Spain (272 billion) hold the second and third positions, Poland operates on a significantly larger scale—nearly 35% higher than Germany—due to a business model laser-focused on international transport.
Furthermore, over 70% of the road transport work performed by Polish carriers is international in nature (including cross-trade and cabotage). In fact, Polish and Lithuanian carriers jointly manage approximately 60% of all cabotage operations in the European Union (according to year-end 2024 data published by CargoON in its Market Insights ON 2024 #3 report).
Countries with a similar profile—high specialization and dependence on international transport—are mostly located in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), fueled by historically competitive cost structures and significant investment in modern fleets.
Trans.eu: The Freight Exchange Defining the New Flow
The growing activity on this new logistical axis requires more than just trucks; it demands a digital ecosystem that understands the “DNA” of Eastern European transport. This ecosystem must be capable of managing large cross-border volumes in a context of high market volatility and capacity shortages.
This is where Trans.eu gains unprecedented strategic relevance. Beyond its Polish origins, it has evolved into a massive ecosystem connecting over 125,000 users and serving 41,000 active customers across the continent, with 9.5 million freight offers published monthly.
While its roots make it the natural marketplace for securing capacity in this new economic framework—concentrating the majority of Eastern Europe’s road transport capacity—it has gained international recognition far beyond Poland’s borders. With over 20 years in the market, Trans.eu is specifically designed to facilitate “matches” on complex international routes.
The platform offers a secure environment for freight procurement and execution, backed by a community of verified companies and a seamless user experience. Tools driven by Artificial Intelligence accelerate time-to-value and allow for the end-to-end management of transport processes.
SafePay: The Catalyst for Trust and Coverage
However, the increasing volume of freight on these critical routes also exposes an intrinsic weakness in the sector: the lack of trust between unknown parties, which translates into payment risks for carriers.
Carriers often operate on thin margins and are extremely risk-sensitive. They frequently find themselves choosing between business growth and financial security. When faced with a route for an unknown company, many opt to reject the load or demand high risk premiums, slowing down the commercial flow. This becomes particularly critical on new routes generated by production shifts.
The launch of SafePay within the Trans.eu platform is the missing piece for optimizing efficiency and security in the new logistics landscape. It directly addresses carrier reluctance to work with unknown partners. By establishing instant, verifiable trust, carriers are more willing to accept international opportunities.
Through SafePay, Trans.eu provides financial protection, guaranteeing payment for transport orders that carry the SafePay badge. If a client fails to pay, the carrier submits a claim online on the platform with required documents. The pay-per-claim model eliminates registration fees, monthly payments, or upfront costs for the carrier.
For load givers, the SafePay badge acts as a “carrier magnet”, providing greater visibility on the platform and ensuring faster capacity acquisition.
“The era of choosing between growth and security is over” said Piotr Hunker, CEO at Trans.eu Group. “The economic rise of Eastern Europe has created massive opportunities and vital new routes. By ensuring payment security, SafePay allows our vast network of transport companies to focus on maximizing profit and covering these high-growth lanes with confidence, ultimately connecting Europe’s new production centers with its traditional markets more efficiently than ever before.”
The economic growth in Eastern Europe has rewritten the European logistics map, and Trans.eu is the primary hub for this new reality. The introduction of SafePay is not just a financial security upgrade; it is a strategic lever that removes market friction. By guaranteeing payment security, SafePay ensures efficient coverage of the new West-East axis, optimizing the flow of goods between consumption centers and the flourishing production hubs of Eastern Europe.
With this addition, the Trans.eu Group seeks not only to consolidate its position as the largest and most secure digital network connecting supply chain actors but also to lead the way in the new era of AI and agentization, where the speed of procurement is only possible when built on a foundation of automated and guaranteed trust.