In October 2026, Ukraine's grain road transportation market is facing truck shortages and an uneven distribution of available vehicles across regions. According to Ukrvantage Agro, the most severe shortages are recorded in Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Chernihiv and Odesa regions. In most regions, the volume of grain requiring transportation exceeds the number of available trucks. This complicates shipment planning and increases logistics costs for farmers and traders.
The largest cargo flows are directed towards southern Ukraine. During week 41, the main grain shipments originated from Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad regions and were transported to Odesa region, primarily towards Izmail. Routes from Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv and Kharkiv regions to Izmail, Reni and Orlivka also remained active. In western Ukraine, the busiest routes connected Ternopil and Zakarpattia, Zhytomyr and Volyn, and Khmelnytskyi and Lviv regions.
Road freight rates vary significantly depending on distance and location. Average rates on short routes of up to 100 km declined, while longer-distance transportation remained expensive. On certain routes of 501–600 km, rates reached UAH 3,000/t, while shipments covering 601–700 km cost up to UAH 3,700/t. On routes exceeding 900 km, rates surpassed UAH 4,000/t. These figures represent rates recorded on specific routes rather than nationwide average transportation costs.
The highest freight rates are recorded on shipments originating from frontline regions, where security risks and more complicated transport conditions increase costs. Meanwhile, truck availability generally matches demand in Vinnytsia, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi and Kyiv regions. The situation in Dnipropetrovsk region is also relatively more balanced. For agricultural producers, this means that delivery costs increasingly depend not only on the distance to ports or grain elevators but also on the availability of trucks in each region.
Original source: Ukrvantage Agro