Argentina's Freight Transport Costs Rose 2.6% in October
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The Transport Cost Index (ICT) compiled by the Federación Argentina de Entidades Empresarias del Autotransporte de Cargas (FADEEAC) recorded a 2.6% increase in October 2026, bringing the cumulative rise between January and October to 33.7%. The year-over-year change reached 40.3%, above the 30.5% accumulated in the first ten months of 2025.
Tolls and Fuel the Hardest Hit
Tolls were the category with the sharpest increase for the month, up 10.91%, mainly due to tariff updates in Buenos Aires province, and have accumulated a rise of close to 77% for the year. Diesel fuel rose 3.2% in October and nearly 43% over the ten months of the year, an input that accounts for around 40% of trucking cost structures, with a greater weight on long-haul routes.
Other Components of the Index
Among the other categories surveyed, tires rose 3.10% and financial costs 2.81%, while driver labor costs increased 2.16% due to the second installment of the wage agreement under CCT 40/89. Repairs advanced 0.93%, overhead expenses 0.72%, rolling stock 0.41% and insurance 0.22%, while lubricants and licenses and fees showed no variation.
FADEEAC's Perspective
FADEEAC president Cristian Sanz noted that tolls rose 77% over ten months without road conditions improving in the same proportion, meaning carriers end up paying more to travel on poor roads, a cost that is passed on to the entire logistics chain.
Other Sector Indicators
In parallel, the National Logistics Cost Index from the Cámara Empresaria de Operadores Logísticos (CEDOL) showed that transport operations rose 2.60% in October, with a cumulative increase of 33.64% over ten months, while the non-transport indicator rose 1.98% month-on-month and 30.71% for the year. AECA's Last-Mile Higher Cost Index recorded increases of 2.00% in postal service and 1.98% in last-mile delivery, with annual cumulative increases of 33.71% and 33.55% respectively.
Outlook
FADEEAC warned that the deferral of fuel taxes and wage adjustments scheduled through February 2027 will continue to put pressure on transport costs. According to AECAUM, slowing inflation is changing the way companies manage their costs, making operational inefficiencies more visible that previously could be masked by frequent rate adjustments.
