Grain trucking rates in Ukraine are moving in different directions depending on transport distance. During the 40th week of 2026, rates on short-haul routes generally declined by 1–9%. The largest decrease was recorded for distances of 101–200 km, where rates fell by around 9%. This reverses the previous week's trend, when short-haul transportation saw some of the strongest price increases due to active harvesting.
The situation is different on medium-distance routes, where rates generally increased by 1–5%. The strongest increase was recorded for distances of 501–600 km. High demand for transportation of the new crop and limited availability of grain trucks remain among the key factors supporting rates. Fuel costs and longer journey times are also affecting the market.
Demand for road transport is being supported by the active sunflower harvest. As of September 28, Ukrainian farmers had harvested approximately 3.36 million tonnes of sunflower seed from 1.66 million hectares, or around 32% of the forecast area. The main agricultural cargo flows are currently directed towards Odesa region, particularly from Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad and Poltava regions.
Queues at Ukraine's western border remain another important factor. Longer waiting times increase the duration of each trip and reduce truck turnover, particularly on longer routes. As a result, trucking costs may remain volatile in the near term: short domestic routes could become cheaper when truck availability improves, while longer-distance transportation will remain sensitive to truck shortages, fuel costs and congestion at border crossings.
Original source: Ukrvantage Agro