Cost of Running a Transport Company in Poland in 2025: Launch and Maintenance

Startup Costs of a Transport Company in 2025 in Poland

Before launching a transport company, it’s essential to analyze both initial and operational costs. Proper cost forecasting allows you to prepare for the venture and avoid unexpected financial strain.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the key expenses to expect when setting up a transport business in Poland in 2025:

Legal Form of Business (e.g., Sole Proprietorship or Limited Liability Company)

Starting a sole proprietorship (JDG) in Poland is practically free, but it comes with unlimited personal liability, which is risky in a high-investment sector like transport. A safer option is to form a limited liability company (sp. z o.o.).

• Online LLC registration (S24): PLN 350 in court fees + PLN 800–1,500 for legal advice.
• Customized LLC setup via notary: PLN 750–1,200 for notary + PLN 600 court fee + PLN 1,000–3,000 for tailored articles of association.

Need help forming a limited liability company in Poland? Get in touch – our experts will take care of everything.

Licensing Costs: National and EU Community Licenses

The cost of running a transport business includes, among other things, expenses to obtain a Community license and a national transport license, and obtaining these licenses is the first step in the process of setting up a transport company in Poland.

International Transport License (Community License)

The initial cost of an international (Community) license with an excerpt for one vehicle is approximately PLN 5,800. This amount consists of the following elements:

• PLN 1,000 for a permit to practice the profession of road transport operator (cost incurred once, the permit is indefinite);
• PLN 4,000 for an international license (for 5 years);
• PLN 440 for an excerpt from the license (for 5 years), each vehicle must have a separate excerpt;
• PLN 200 for insurance documenting the financial capacity of the carrier;
• PLN 30 for a certificate of no criminal record.

You can read more about the Community license in our article: International Transport License - What It Is and How to Obtain It?

It should be remembered that a necessary condition for obtaining a license is for the company to have a registered office address and an operational base, about which we write below.

Cost of national license

A national license costs around PLN 1,400. It’s worth remembering that each additional vehicle increases costs by PLN 440 for an international license or PLN 110 for a national license.

You can learn more on this topic from our post: What Is a National Transport License? Guide for 2025

Certificate of professional competence

Another cost of running a transport business will be obtaining required documents, among which is the Certificate of Professional Competence.

The minimum cost of obtaining a certificate of professional competence is PLN 800, which consists of PLN 500 for the exam and PLN 300 for issuing the document. You can take the exam right away, but you can increase your chances of passing it by signing up for a training course. Such training, depending on the scope, can cost from PLN 900 to 2,500. There is a possibility of being exempt from the exam for the certificate of competence, which you can read more about in our article: Driver Certificate of Professional Competence in Poland in 2025: What You Need to Know.

Let’s add that according to regulations, at least one person in the company must possess a certificate of professional competence (CPC), and it doesn’t have to be the owner or the board of the transport company. Hence, to meet this requirement, we can hire such a person from outside. The cheapest way is to enter into a commission contract (costs from several hundred zlotys per month), but it should be remembered that according to the regulations, such a person must actually manage transport operations in the company. The certificate itself confirms the possession of qualifications necessary to conduct transport activities and is a necessary condition for obtaining a license.

Cost of vehicle fleet

The high costs of running a transport business include, among other things, the cost of purchasing a vehicle, which is an essential asset for a road carrier. A truck can cost from tens to even hundreds of thousands of zlotys.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that the cost of purchasing a vehicle can be leasing, which we wrote about in the later part of the article.

Company card

The costs should also include a company card for the tachograph, which is issued by the Polish Security Printing Works, and the cost of obtaining this document is PLN 282.90 gross.

For proper handling of the company card, a tachograph reader or GPS system that reads cards automatically is necessary. However, you can read more about company cards in our article: Tachograph company card: What is it and why it’s necessary?

OC, AC, and OCP insurance

The high costs of running a transport business also include:

• Cost of vehicle insurance OC and AC;
• Purchase of OCP - carrier’s liability insurance.

At this point, let’s note that the cost of OC insurance is mandatory - a road carrier is obliged to purchase this policy for their vehicles. The AC policy (auto casco) is not mandatory if we buy a car for cash, but when taking a car on lease, the leasing company will require it obligatorily. The OCP policy is also not mandatory, but it provides protection against unexpected events, such as theft or damage to goods, and usually every client will require its possession. The cost of OCP ranges from several hundred to several thousand zlotys annually, and you can read more on this topic in our article: Which carrier’s liability insurance (OCP) policy should you choose?

Website and marketing

Own transport business usually also includes costs related to a website, the creation of which can cost several or a dozen thousand zlotys.

In addition, it is worth mentioning the marketing costs of a transport company. An example of a popular marketing solution, which carriers often reach for, are tarpaulins covered with the company’s logo. This is an expense ranging from several hundred to several thousand zlotys per trailer, depending on size and color scheme.

Marketing costs also include participation in industry fairs and conferences.

Costs of operational base and costs of transport company headquarters

An operational base is a parking place for at least 1/3 of the fleet, a place for loading and unloading, or a place for repairs and maintenance, and it should contain appropriate equipment and technical devices.

In this aspect, you need to consider the costs of renting or purchasing a company headquarters (it cannot be a virtual office) and expenses for utilities and office equipment. These seemingly secondary costs can significantly affect the final amount necessary to start a business.

The cost of an office can start from several hundred zlotys per month for a small room in a smaller city, and the cost of one parking space is about PLN 200-400 per month (this cost will be distributed over 3 vehicles).

What are the monthly costs of running a transport company in Poland?

When wanting to establish a transport company, you need to consider not only the initial costs but also the monthly costs of running a transport business. Regular monthly expenses of transport companies significantly affect the profitability of the entire enterprise, and proper planning allows you to avoid financial surprises and ensure operational stability.

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Leasing and installments for vehicles

In regular, monthly costs of running a transport business, you should include the cost of vehicle leasing. You can also consider a service agreement and warranty extension if you are buying a new vehicle.

To learn more about leasing in transport companies, we invite you to read our post: Which type of truck leasing should you choose? A comparison of available financing options

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Employee wages

Transport company expenses must also include the costs of employing workers, which involve, among other things:

• Wages;
• Social Security contributions and taxes;
• Costs of calculating wages, working time settlements, and other payroll and HR services.

Let’s add that the costs of employing professional drivers in 2025 are as follows:

1. The median salary of a truck driver is PLN 7,020 gross (PLN 5,115 net).
2. The salary structure shows significant variation - one in four drivers earns below PLN 5,700 gross, while 25% of the highest-paid receive over PLN 9,340 gross.

You can calculate the exact total cost of remuneration on our Internationals Drivers' Payroll Calculator.

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Fuel and road charges

A transport company’s business plan should include fuel costs, and it’s worth noting that fuel charges are the largest single operational cost in the transport industry – they account for 29% to even 49% of total transport company expenses. The situation has been worsened by significant increases in diesel oil prices by more than 50% since 2020, reaching a level of about 1.56 euros per liter.

The average set travels about 120 thousand kilometers annually, consuming an average of 28 liters of fuel per 100 km. These parameters allow for calculating monthly fuel costs for each vehicle in the fleet, but it is necessary to consider the average load mass, routes traveled (highways vs. regular national roads), mountainous terrain, etc.

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Road charges and e-TOLL systems

Road charges constitute an increasingly large part of the monthly costs of running a transport company – especially in the context of international transport.

In recent months, particularly painful for carriers have been increases in toll rates in Germany, where from July 1, 2024, a new, significantly higher fee system based on emission class, maximum total mass (MMC - not to be confused with DMC), number of axles, and number of kilometers traveled applies.

For the largest sets, toll rates in Germany can cost 51.6 cents per kilometer, which on a monthly scale translates to several thousand euros in additional costs for companies serving regular routes through the territory of this country.

It is also necessary to remember about domestic charges – in Poland, the e-TOLL system applies, which charges fees for travel on toll roads. The cost of e-TOLL depends on the category of the road and the category of the vehicle, and its range is from 24 to 76 groszy per kilometer.

The increase in road charge rates throughout Europe means that carriers must plan routes even more carefully, optimize routes, and include these expenses in the calculation of transport prices. This is also one of the reasons why more and more companies are investing in telematic systems and digital route planning to reduce costs and improve business profitability.

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Service, inspections, and repairs

A transport company must consider not only the cost of the vehicle fleet but also directly related costs of repairs and inspections, which requires systematic financial outlays.

The service schedule is established based on kilometers traveled (every 30-50 thousand km) or calendar (approximately every 6 months).

However, the final price of the service is determined by the brand, model, year of the vehicle, and man-hours. It should be remembered that unplanned breakdowns on the route generate not only direct repair costs but also significant losses resulting from downtimes and delays in deliveries.

Monthly expenses of a transport company: Software and administration

Striving for good organization, you should consider implementing Transport Management Software (TMS) and appropriate administration. The software can help in handling orders, plotting routes, settling business trips, reminding about inspections, services, or other recurring activities.

You should also consider communication between individual systems (e.g., between TMS and GPS, or between TMS and the accounting system). This will allow you to keep an eye on all processes occurring in the company, understand their costs, and react with appropriate advance notice.

Depending on the chosen system, its implementation can be done independently (usually in SaaS systems), and the application of individualized solutions can cost from a dozen to even several hundred thousand zlotys.

In addition to implementation fees, you must also consider the monthly costs of maintaining and servicing the above-mentioned systems, which can range from several hundred to several thousand zlotys.

Transport industry, and hidden costs and risks that are rarely discussed

Running a business in the transport industry involves numerous hidden costs, which the initial business plan of a transport company rarely includes. These additional expenses can significantly affect the revenues of a transport company and often make the difference between success and failure in the transport industry.

Delays in payments from contractors

Transport of goods and people is characterized by one of the worst payment indicators in the economy. In the first quarter of 2025, as many as 54% of small and medium transport companies had to wait for payment for transport orders for more than 60 days from the designated deadline. This is the worst result among all economic sectors.

The debt of companies from the TSL sector increased by 18% in 2023, reaching a value of over 3 billion zlotys. Delayed payments are not only a cashflow problem – they generate additional costs of financing activities and force entrepreneurs to seek alternative sources of working capital.

Driver recruitment costs and high rotation

Employing professional drivers is today one of the biggest organizational and cost challenges in the transport industry. There is a systematic shortage of experienced drivers on the market – especially Polish citizens, who increasingly resign from work in international transport or migrate to Western European companies offering better conditions.

As a result, many carriers are forced to employ foreigners, mainly from Central Asia, the Caucasus, or South Asia. However, this is associated with a long and costly process of legalizing stay and work, which in practice can last from a few weeks to even a few months.

An additional problem is the high rotation of staff. Drivers often change employers or withdraw from the profession due to difficult working conditions. Each staff gap means vehicle downtime, unfulfilled orders, and measurable financial losses.

Added to this are the costs of recruitment, training, work clothes, or equipping the vehicle for a new employee. As a consequence, the lack of a stable crew not only increases operational costs but also makes it difficult to build lasting relationships with contractors and limits company development.

Costs of breakdowns and downtimes

Unplanned vehicle downtimes constitute one of the biggest financial threats for transport companies. Lost monthly turnover on one vehicle in international transport can average around PLN 56,000.

The leasing fee is approximately PLN 6,000 net for a tractor unit and PLN 2,000 for a semi-trailer per month. Meanwhile, renting a replacement vehicle is an additional expense of around PLN 8,600-10,800, and breakdowns on the route also generate towing costs, express repairs, and potential complaints from customers for delayed deliveries.

Taxes

Tax on means of transport is payable in two installments: by February 15 and by September 15. Its amount depends on the municipality in which the vehicle is registered (its appropriate selection is important). The lowest rate for a two-axle tractor unit with pneumatic suspension (in a set totaling over 31 tons) is currently PLN 1353.03 / year (2025).

If you want to learn more about the above-mentioned tax, we invite you to read our post: Transportation Tax in Poland in 2025 - What You Need to Know?

Additionally, transport entrepreneurs are obliged to pay an environmental fee for using the environment, including for emissions. Although in many cases this fee is symbolic or does not exceed the limit of PLN 800 per year (which exempts from the obligation to pay it), companies still have the obligation to keep records of emissions and submit appropriate reports. Exempt from the fee are, among others, vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons in case of not exceeding emission limits specified in the regulations.

Accounting, reporting obligations

It should be noted that the accounting of a transport company is characterized by a certain complexity. It requires keeping records of drivers’ working time based on data from the tachograph, monitoring violations and prevention, quite extensive statistical reporting. The costs of professional accounting services for transport companies are usually higher than in other industries due to the specifics of regulations.

ITD penalties and controls

Other costs of running a transport business, which are often not taken into account at the stage of setting up a transport company, are penalties related to controls and fines.

The Road Transport Inspection can impose penalties from PLN 50 to 12,000 for each violation. The maximum sum of penalties depends on the number of employed drivers:

• PLN 15,000 for companies employing up to 10 drivers;
• PLN 30,000 for companies with over 250 drivers.

Failure to submit to ITD control results in a penalty of PLN 12,000. Controls can be carried out both at the company headquarters and on the road, which increases the risk of violations.

You can learn more on this topic from our article: Polish Road Transport Inspection (ITD) controls on the road and in the company - What you should know

Fines also await abroad, often for seemingly minor violations they can reach several thousand euros.

Financial security and liquidity

Lack of financial liquidity poses a serious threat to transport companies, especially with long payment terms often amounting to 30-60 days.

The solution may be diversification of financing, e.g., combining factoring and working capital credit. Each of these forms of financing, however, involves additional costs, which should be included in the calculation of business profitability.

Is a transport company profitable?

After a detailed analysis of costs, the most important question remains: does transport activity really bring profits? The answer requires a thorough examination of potential revenues and comparing them with the previously discussed expenses.

The most common operational goal in a transport company is to sign a contract or find loads that maximize revenue per kilometer traveled and maximize the number of kilometers traveled.

Then the goal is to minimize errors (damage to loads, fines, delays, accidents, driver rotation, downtimes), i.e., perfecting and optimizing daily processes, as well as minimizing costs (refueling at cheaper stations, choosing good routes, limiting the costs of road charges or the number of kilometers) and limiting risks (cooperation with solvent customers, good driver recruitment process, etc.).

A very well-organized company that serves customers from growing industries can count on profits of around 2-4 thousand euros net per set. Specialized companies (such as oversized transport, vehicle transport) in good times can count on even several times higher profits. However, mistakes made, lack of cost control, or external factors (political, economic) can significantly affect the profitability of this business.

When does a transport company start to make a profit?

A transport company requires time to achieve financial stability. The first months of activity are often characterized by reinvesting revenues in development. Invoices in the industry have payment terms reaching 30-60 days, which means the necessity of financing activities from own funds during this period.

Carriers achieve financial stability usually after 2-4 years of consistent action and building a stable customer base. This period requires particular financial discipline and appropriate capital reserves to cover current expenses.

Running a transport company in 2025 - summary

Setting up and running a transport company in 2025 is an undertaking requiring not only high financial outlays but also awareness of numerous operational and formal challenges.

Initial costs, such as the cost of a license for international and domestic transport, the cost of purchasing a vehicle, certificates, or the cost of OC and AC insurance, are just the beginning. Equally important are fixed expenses: the cost of vehicle leasing, fuel charges, wages and employee fees, taxes, service, and road charges. Added to this are difficult to predict, but real hidden costs — such as downtimes, breakdowns, delayed payments, or possible penalties and fines.

Although the profit potential, especially in international transport, can be very attractive, the actual profitability of the company depends on many variables — including the scale of activity, management efficiency, financial strategy, and the ability to maintain liquidity. The first months may require reinvesting almost all revenues and operating on the verge of profitability.

If you are planning to enter the TSL industry, ensure a well-thought-out business plan, realistic cost assumptions, and flexible sources of financing. For this purpose, it is worth consulting with specialists. This is also a great solution when you are already running a transport company and want to optimize driver wages or other company expenses.

If you need such support, contact us! We will gladly provide it - whether it’s about accounting in a transport company, drivers’ payroll calculation, or issues related to HR and payroll!

Transport company costs - Frequently asked questions

Below, we have collected the most frequently asked questions regarding transport company costs. We have also provided answers to them. However, if among them there is no issue that bothers you, we encourage you to contact us!

Will running a transport company in 2025 be profitable?

The profitability of a transport company depends on many factors. With proper management, a company with 5 sets traveling internationally can generate a monthly net income from PLN 250,000 to 350,000. However, it is necessary to remember about high initial and monthly costs as well as hidden expenses.

What are the main costs of running a transport company in 2025?

The main costs include vehicle leasing, fuel, employee wages, insurance, road charges, service, and repair costs. Monthly expenses for a company with 5 sets traveling internationally can exceed PLN 240,000.

How much capital is needed to start a transport company in 2025?

The amount needed to start a transport business with one set tractor unit + semi-trailer exceeds PLN 110,000. If we wanted to start with 5 sets, it would be good to have about PLN 500,000. This includes the costs of licenses, certificates, insurance, initial leasing fees, wages, and other expenses, until money starts flowing from customers for services rendered.

What are the hidden costs of running a transport company?

Hidden costs include delays in payments from contractors, costs of breakdowns and downtimes, complex tax obligations, potential penalties from ITD or other institutions, and the necessity to maintain financial liquidity.

After what time does a transport company start to bring profits?

A transport company usually achieves financial stability after 2-4 years of consistent action. The first months often require investing revenues in development, and long payment terms (30-60 days) can affect initial financial liquidity.