German truck mileage index: -1.6% in October 2026

The latest readings

Destatis publishes the figure monthly as the Lkw-Maut-Fahrleistungsindex, usually translated as the truck toll mileage index. The releases checked for this article show increases in May, August and September 2026, followed by a fall in October (June and July are not included):

The May figure comes from the press release of the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM); the August, September and October figures from Destatis.

What the index measures

The index tracks the distance driven by toll-liable trucks with at least four axles on Germany's federal motorways. It is built from the digital process data generated by the truck toll collection system.

BALM developed the index, and Destatis prepares and publishes it as a seasonally adjusted economic indicator for Germany and its federal states. Because it is available about a month before the index of industrial production, Destatis presents it as an early indicator of economic activity.

There are limits. The index cannot be broken down by industry, so it does not say which sectors are shipping more or less. It measures vehicle movements, not tonnes, load factors or freight rates. Destatis also provides data on trips across Germany's borders in its GENESIS database; this article does not use them.

How to read it

For anyone buying or selling road freight capacity in or through Germany, the index is a useful background signal:

• A single monthly fall, as in October, is not yet a trend. The year-on-year figure is less affected by monthly noise, and it was still positive in October, although smaller than in September.
• A rising index means more heavy-truck kilometres on German motorways. That is consistent with more freight moving, but it can also reflect longer routes or trucks running emptier; a falling index can mean the opposite.
• The index covers the motorway network as a whole. Conditions on a specific lane, such as a port hinterland route or a cross-border corridor, can differ.

For carriers, the practical point is to compare the national signal with what their own lanes show. If demand on a regular lane is softening, it may be worth widening the search: the guide to finding truck loads in Europe and the overview of return loads in Europe cover ways to fill empty legs into and out of Germany.

For brokers and shippers, a softer month can make capacity easier to find on some German lanes, but one reading is not enough to plan on.

What comes next

Destatis publishes the index monthly. This article reports the published figures up to October 2026 and does not forecast the next readings.