Article at a glance:

French and German trucking: IT for the long haul

Deregulation of the European road freight industry throughout the 1990s unleashed a wave of consolidation that brought higher productivity to the sector. Most of the easy victories from these changes have already been claimed, and road freight companies must now look to innovation to continue this productivity growth.

The take-away

Thanks to the larger fleets brought on by consolidation, French and German road freight companies can begin capturing the full potential of innovative management tools—underpinned by IT investments—that could enhance their productivity.

This article is part of a McKinsey Quarterly special package on findings from a study by the McKinsey Global Institute. To read another article from the collection, please select from the following. Reviving French and German productivity Telecom: Advantage, France and Germany French and German banking: Showing IT's strength