June 1, 2026 – “2025 was the best financial year to date for our alliance in terms of shipment volume since its foundation,” says SAE CEO Tassilo Schneider.
With 3.5 million shipments (2024: 3.0 million) and a tonnage of 1.1 million tons (2024: 1.0 million), the cooperatively organized general cargo network recorded the strongest volume growth of the past five years. “The current momentum is primarily coming from other European countries,” Schneider comments on the development.
Economic growth in countries such as Denmark, Portugal, and Spain is reflected in shipment volumes flowing to and from these regions within continental freight transport. The economic weakness of Germany as an industrial location is now also
becoming visible in logistics: “We are currently seeing significantly more dynamism in other European countries,” Schneider said.
With 54 member companies and 170 branches in 33 countries, SAE is the largest general cargo cooperation in Europe. Its members operate according to uniform quality and security standards and manage their logistics via a central IT and data platform, while remaining fully independent as businesses. “Our members use SAE’s established standards, digital tools, and processes, but maintain their own pricing policies,” Schneider explained.
SAE, founded in 2005, includes leading medium-sized freight forwarding and logistics companies. Together, they form a tightly integrated system of owner-managed, independent companies that combines strong regional presence with comprehensive coverage across Europe.
