From Volume to Margin: How Freight Leaders Are Rethinking Growth in 2025

By Maria Kalamatas | May 9, 2025

Frankfurt, GERMANY —
With the chaos of 2020–2022 behind them, many freight companies entered 2025 with one goal: scale back the noise and focus on profitability. And after a turbulent first quarter, that pivot has become more than a strategy — it’s a matter of survival.

“We’re done chasing volume just to look busy,” says Henrik Bauer, Managing Director at StahlLogistik. “In 2025, the real KPI is margin per shipment — not the number of containers.”

Fewer clients, better outcomes

All across Europe and Southeast Asia, mid-sized freight firms are trimming their client lists. In Q1, StahlLogistik dropped 12% of its lowest-yield customers — mostly spot-rate business and late payers — and reported a 6.4% increase in net margin within one quarter.

“If a shipment costs more in admin than it earns in margin, we don’t touch it,” Bauer explains. “We’d rather grow slow and stable than fast and bankrupt.”

The trend is spreading. In Spain, four out of ten regional operators surveyed by LogiPulse say they’ve started turning down new contracts with tight margins or high operational risk.

Staff retention becomes a metric

One unexpected side effect of this margin-focused approach? Lower turnover. Logistics firms that eased off hyper-growth reported stronger team morale and reduced absenteeism.

“Chasing unprofitable growth creates burnout,” says Salma Idrissi, HR lead at Atlas Freight Morocco. “Now we know: fewer clients doesn’t mean less work — it means better work.”

Specialization beats scale

Rather than compete with giants on global lanes, many agile forwarders are carving out specialized lanes — pharma, cold chain, aerospace, or regulated markets — where experience trumps price.

In Turkey, one independent network specializing in halal-certified logistics has doubled its membership since January.

“You don’t need to be everywhere,” Bauer notes. “You need to be essential somewhere.”

The new freight mindset

More forwarders are starting to think like consultants, not just carriers. They’re analyzing client profiles, building margin scorecards, and ditching low-yield jobs even when volumes look tempting.

The result? Leaner operations, stronger vendor relationships, and a reduced reliance on short-term financing.

Conclusion

The story of 2025 isn’t just about freight in motion — it’s about freight that pays. For logistics firms that want to make it through this year and beyond, growth at all costs is out. What matters now is smart, selective, margin-driven expansion.

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