Clear International has issued its June 2026 forecast for the West European Heavy Goods Trailer Market.

The West European trailer market is the midst of a “marked recovery,” growing by 8.8% in the second half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to Clear International’s latest forecast for the West European heavy goods trailer market. Momentum has continued into 2026, with demand rising by 10.7% in the first four months of the year.

For 2026, trailer demand in Western Europe will grow by 7%, with even stronger expansion expected in 2027–2028, the Clear report forecasts. 

“After weak new trailer demand in 2023-25 significant pent-up demand has developed,” said report author Gary Beecroft, director of Clear International. “In 2027 and 2028 economies will strengthen in terms of both GDP in general, and also investment levels. The trailer replacement cycle will also be favorable until the end of the decade.”

So far, the war in Iran appears to have no impact at all on the trailer registration figures in 2026, the report noted. However, it is already causing inflation in Western Europe. Expected interest rate cuts have already been postponed in Europe and elsewhere. 

There is anecdotal evidence of trailer orders being cancelled plus a lack of new orders, the Clear report adds.

As a result, the forecast for trailer demand in 2026 had been reduced—"but not by a large amount.” The forecasts for Denmark and the UK have actually been increased for 2026 as a result of strong demand in January to April. 

The forecast demand for five other countries have small increases and the remaining eight have lower forecasts.

If the Iran war can be ended by mid-2026, a catastrophic fall in business confidence can be avoided and further downgrades of the outlook for trailer demand will not be necessary, per the report. Otherwise a fall of more than 15,000 trailers below the forecast level for 2026 is possible, primarily caused by a fall in business’s willingness to invest in new equipment.

Further into the future, “we can be almost certain” that the market will experience a cyclical downturn by the end of the decade, the report states. This is currently assumed to occur in 2030.

European economic outlook

Road transport demand in Western Europe (measured in tonne‑kilometres) fell by 4.0% in 2023, but returned to growth with increases of 0.6% in 2024 and 0.7% in 2025. More robust expansion is anticipated in the years ahead.

Meanwhile, the OECD Composite Leading Indicators for May 2026 show Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain all above the trend level of 100, signaling improving economic conditions over the next six months.

“Economic growth in the region will remain moderate but positive for the next three years. Interest rates and inflation have been knocked off course by the war in Iran,” Beecroft said. “A rapid resolution will prevent serious damage to the market for commercial vehicles in 2026. Pent-up demand caused by three years of weak trailer sales will boost the recovery. It is possible that many published economic forecasts for Western Europe are too pessimistic.”

The report outlines when, where and how quickly the trailer market will recover and develop through to 2030.

77% of all goods in Europe are moved by road and most of that proportion is transported in a heavy goods trailer.

The West European Trailer Market Report (June 2026), with forecasts to 2030, can be obtained from CLEAR International by contacting Gary Beecroft by email at [email protected]. A new report for the Eastern European market was issued in April 2026.  A Global Trailer Market Database is also available.