Start-ups cause margin pressure in last mile


  • 69% said they are currently experiencing increased pressures on margins
  • 41.2% believe margin pressures will intensify over the next 12 months

Costs have been increasing for last-mile providers across the board as record-high inflation persists, according to researchers at Ti Insight.

The past year has seen a particular spike in gas and diesel prices due to supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine and increasing taxation on fossil fuels, as well as chronic labour shortages. As fuel costs can contribute up to around 25% of total last mile delivery expenditures, last mile couriers are particularly affected by fluctuating prices.

The so-called ‘Amazon effect’, which has seen customers increasingly demand faster and more reliable delivery, has created space for a wealth of competitors. There has been a particular influx of last mile tech-based start-ups in recent years which claim to offer lower cost per delivery due to certain business models such as crowdsourcing drivers and limited fixed assets.  

The latest report Growing margin pressures: what’s the cause? from Ti Insight – the leading provider of market research to the global logistics industry – shows that margin pressure is significant in the Express & Parcels market. Air and sea freight forwarders, road freight companies and 3PLs are also experiencing pressure on margins.

This report – which is free to download – includes GSCi data collated from our State of Logistics Survey, which ran between January and March 2023, and was designed to explore the reasons behind the current and anticipated margin squeeze.

Although 41.2% of respondents believe pressures will intensify over the next 12 months, 38.2% of respondents believe that pressures will ease, and margins will likely be positively impacted.

Viki Keckarovska, Ti’s Senior Research Analyst, says: “Costs for last-mile providers have been increasing across the board as record-high inflation persists. The past year has seen a particular spike in gas and diesel prices due to supply chain issues, the war in Ukraine and increasing taxation on fossil fuels, as well as chronic labour shortages. As fuel costs can contribute up to around 25% of total last mile delivery expenditures, last mile couriers are particularly affected by fluctuating prices.”

Click here to download the free whitepaper: Growing margin pressures: what’s the cause?

This whitepaper includes primary research on whether supply chain professionals are experiencing increased pressures on margins, and what they believe to be the reasons for this. It covers the following markets: Express & Parcels, Air and sea freight forwarders, road freight companies and 3PLs.

If you have any questions about the report then please contact Michael Clover, [email protected].

About Ti

Ti Insight is one of the world’s leading providers of expert research and analysis dedicated to the global logistics industry. Utilising the expertise of professionals with many years of experience in the express, road freight and logistics industries, Ti Insight has developed a range of market-leading web-based products, reports, profiles and services used by many of the world’s leading logistics suppliers, consultancies, banks and users of logistics services.

For further information, please contact Michael Clover, Ti’s Head of Commercial Development, [email protected].

Web: ti-insight.com

Twitter: @Ti_insight

Linkedin: Transport Intelligence 

Instagram: @logistics_briefing

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