How much does a truck ferry cost?
Depending on the route, a truck ferry for a standard articulated lorry of around 16.5 metres costs roughly €150–400 on short crossings and €900 to over €2,000 on long routes per single trip – the main price factors are vehicle length and route length.
Which factors determine the price?
Freight ferries do not charge per ticket but per slot – usually per lane metre. These factors determine the final price:
- Vehicle length: The tariff rises with every lane metre. Overlength (e.g. road trains or special transports) costs noticeably more than a standard 16.5 m articulated lorry.
- Weight and number of axles: Heavy or multi-axle vehicles can trigger surcharges on some routes.
- Accompanied or unaccompanied: Unaccompanied trailers (without tractor unit and driver) are often cheaper per unit than accompanied transports.
- Dangerous goods (ADR): ADR cargo requires registration and is charged with a surcharge; some sailings only take limited quantities.
- Season and utilisation: Rates are higher in peak periods and on heavily booked sailings.
- Booking time: Booking early secures allocations and better conditions; last-minute bookings often pay daily rates.
- Surcharges: Bunker/fuel surcharge (BAF), EU emissions trading (ETS) and port charges are added to the base price on many routes.
- Driver on board: Depending on the shipping line, cabin and meals for the driver are included or charged separately.
Guide prices by route category
| Route category | Example routes | Guide price per crossing* |
|---|---|---|
| Short crossing (under 3 hours) | Calais–Dover, Puttgarden–Rødby | from approx. €150, typically €200–400 |
| Medium distance (3–12 hours) | Rostock–Trelleborg, Świnoujście–Trelleborg, Travemünde–Malmö | from approx. €300, typically €400–800 |
| Long distance (over 12 hours) | Kiel–Gothenburg, Travemünde–Helsinki, Genoa–Palermo, Spain–Balearics | from approx. €700, typically €900–2,000 |
* Guide prices for an accompanied standard articulated lorry (approx. 16.5 m), single trip, as of August 2026 – not a price guarantee. Actual daily rates vary with utilisation, season and surcharges; only the individual quote is binding.
Fuel and emissions surcharges (BAF & ETS) in detail
Most shipping lines publish their fuel surcharges (BAF) and the EU emissions trading levy (ETS) separately and adjust them monthly – charged per lane metre or as a flat rate per vehicle. The orders of magnitude differ considerably by sea area:
| Sea area | Example routes | Typical BAF+ETS surcharge** |
|---|---|---|
| Baltic Sea | Puttgarden–Rødby, Travemünde–Trelleborg, Kiel–Oslo | approx. €1–15 per lane metre |
| North Sea | Rotterdam–Harwich, IJmuiden–Newcastle, Hull–Rotterdam | approx. €4–13 per lane metre, considerably more for long units on some routes |
| English Channel | Calais–Dover, Dunkirk–Dover | flat rate of approx. €25–70 per vehicle |
| Adriatic / Mediterranean | Ancona–Patras, Bari–Igoumenitsa | approx. €18–40 per lane metre |
** Orders of magnitude according to the surcharge tables published by the shipping lines, as of August 2026 – set anew every month, not a price guarantee.
For a standard articulated lorry of 16.5 metres, just €10 per lane metre means around €165 in surcharges per crossing – on top of the base price. Because BAF and ETS are recalculated monthly, freight rates change continuously, even on the same route.
Accompanied or unaccompanied – which is cheaper?
With accompanied transport, the complete unit of tractor and trailer travels on board with the driver; depending on the shipping line, cabin and meals are included in the price. The advantage: after arrival, the journey continues immediately without transhipment.
An unaccompanied trailer takes up less space on board and is often noticeably cheaper per unit, especially on long routes. However, it requires a tractor unit at both ports for pre- and on-carriage – so the calculation pays off above all for regular traffic with established logistics on both sides.
Why are freight prices usually available on request only?
In the freight business, shipping lines generally do not publish price lists: rates are calculated per sailing from utilisation, allocations and daily surcharges such as fuel (BAF) and emissions trading (ETS). Booking portals therefore often show "price on request" for trucks instead of fixed amounts.
Hauliers and shippers with regular traffic additionally receive negotiated B2B conditions and framework contracts that can differ considerably from single-booking prices. A specific enquiry with route, vehicle dimensions and date is therefore the fastest way to a reliable price.
Why the ferry can pay off despite the ticket price
The right comparison is never "ferry price versus zero" but the total route: the crossing replaces road kilometres – and with them tolls, diesel, vehicle wear and working time. On many relations, for example to Scandinavia, Great Britain or southern Italy, the combination of road and ferry is cheaper overall than the pure land route.
Then there are driving and rest times: on overnight ferries, depending on the circumstances, the driver can spend the prescribed rest period in a cabin on board. By morning, the goods are hundreds of kilometres further on without any driving time having been used – a cost advantage that never appears in a ticket price.
How to reduce your ferry costs
- Book early: Dynamic pricing applies especially on short routes such as the English Channel – booking early secures allocations below the daily rates.
- Be flexible about departure: Crossings in the middle of the week and at off-peak times are usually cheaper than weekend and peak-time sailings.
- Check alternative routes: An alternative port – say Dunkirk instead of Calais or a different Baltic port – often brings better rates with a similar journey time.
- Bundle volumes: For regular traffic, negotiated framework conditions pay off – and that is exactly where we support you with our shipping line contacts.
Routes by destination country
You will find all connections with ports and shipping lines on the country pages: