Changes in Cargo Transport in the European Union in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Changes in Cargo Transport in the European Union in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Summary/Abstract: A major shift has been observed recently in the transport industry due in no small part to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper was to determine the changes that occurred on the cargo transport market during that period. In order to examine these changes, an analy- sis of which mode of transport was most popular in the European Union during 2019-2021 was conducted. For this purpose, a comparative analysis of secondary data which demonstrated whether the proportions of specific modes of transport in the overall volume of cargo shipments were similar before the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the time when the pandemic unfolded was car- ried out. The results of the study confirmed the prevalence of road transport, and the market position of that mode of transport was further strengthened during the pandemic. The review further covered the shifts in the proportions of the specific modes of transport in the EU member states during the study period. The review established that these shifts were comparable across all the member states, even though the most dramatic change occurred with regard to road transport. Finally, a linear regression model was developed to investigate whether a linear relationship ex- ists between the volume of cargo shipments undertaken by means of road transport and the external and internal fac- tors defined in the literature on the subject as having had the greatest impact on the transport services market.

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