{"id":461050,"date":"2026-06-23T21:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T11:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=72033"},"modified":"2026-06-23T21:47:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T11:47:06","slug":"a-challenging-h2-2026-awaits-freight-industry-despite-market-stabilisation-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=461050","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A challenging H2 2026 awaits freight industry despite market stabilisation\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Freight forwarders are in for a challenging second half of 2026. As the world very much looks forward to careful global stabilisation following an Iran-US peace deal, forwarders should be careful to rejoice too much, too soon.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The warning to freight forwarders in particular is issued by Oliver Gritz, founder and CEO of OntegosCloud, a forwarder profitability platform. If the US and Iran succeed in concluding a peace deal, the operating environment for logistics companies could develop favourably.<\/p>\n

A restabilisation of global shipping would be welcomed universally. Yet, freight forwarders should not hurry to pop the champagne. They may be underestimating the challenges awaiting them, according to Gritz.<\/p>\n

Stability misconception<\/h2>\n

“There’s a common assumption that when disruption declines, profitability improves”, explained Gritz. “In reality, some of the greatest pressure on margins can emerge during the transition from volatility to stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, a customer may expect freight costs to fall as soon as geopolitical tensions ease and insurance markets begin to stabilise. However, the forwarder may still be operating with elevated insurance premiums, higher fuel prices, disruption-related contingencies, repositioning costs and contractual commitments negotiated during a more volatile period. When customer expectations adjust faster than operating costs, the result is often margin compression rather than margin recovery\u201d, Gritz elaborated.<\/p>\n

Since the underlying transportation cost structures take longer to adjust to new circumstances, freight forwarders should be careful to let go of their previously adopted commercial discipline. They still need to pay close attention to pricing, margin management and cost recovery.<\/p>\n

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Challenges<\/h2>\n

OntegosCloud identifies four key commercial challenges<\/strong> for H2 2026:<\/strong><\/p>\n