BAROMETER. Road transport prices in France rose by 0.9% in September 2026 over one month, despite weak flows, due to the rise in diesel prices. As the financial situation of French carriers continues to worsen, no transition will be possible without political support.
On October 13, the National Assembly began its examination of the 2027 budget bill in a tense atmosphere.
- September 2026 was indeed marked by a rise in social protests in France, against a backdrop of concerns related to purchasing power, working conditions and the resources allocated to public services. In education, a high school student movement initiated in Créteil, in the Paris region, in mid-September, has developed around the lack of teachers and poor teaching conditions. The protests continued through October. Alongside declared demonstrations, urban riots broke out during the weekend of October 17 and 18 in several French cities.
- Furthermore, the parliamentary debate opens in an extremely tense budgetary context. According to INSEE, public debt stood at €3,595.5 billion at the end of the second quarter of 2026, or 119% of GDP. The yield on 10-year French government bonds, after exceeding 4% in August, reached 4.75% on September 30, a level not seen since 2002; the interest rate for France is now higher than that of Italy and Greece. When the interest rate on the debt (close to 5% in the long term) becomes significantly higher than the country's nominal economic growth, the public debt mechanically increases by its own weight, even without new spending.
- Finally, the business climate deteriorated significantly in September. At 96.4, it lost 1.4 points compared to the previous month, according to data published by INSEE. The decline is mainly attributable to a marked deterioration in retail trade and repair of motor vehicles. In this segment, pessimism is fuelled in particular by the decline in the balance of opinions relating to order intentions. In industry and construction, the business climate remained stable. In its monthly business survey for October 2026, based on a survey of business leaders between September 27 and October 5, the Banque de France notes, however, that the increase in industry “was weaker than expected and concealed significant disparities across sectors”. Furthermore, “industrial order books were also mixed, with aeronautics and electrical equipment reporting particularly strong orders, and other sectors indicating a deterioration”. Overall, the Banque de France estimates GDP growth at 0.1% for the 3rd quarter of 2026.
Record beaten for the price of professional diesel
Road transport prices in France resumed their upward trend in September, rising by 0.9% compared to August.
Source: Upply Freight Index – Road France
This development is not surprising. As in August, road transport prices were influenced by the surge in diesel prices (...)
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