<article class="article"> <!-- Header --> <header class="article-header"> <div class="article-meta"> <span class="article-category">Market Trends</span> <span class="article-meta-dot">&bull;</span> <span class="article-read-time">7 min</span> </div> <h1 class="article-title">Moving Trends 2026: more moves, higher costs</h1> <p class="article-intro">The housing market is picking up. House prices are rising. The number of transactions is growing. Good news for moving companies, you would think. But there is a downside.</p> </header> <!-- Hero Image --> <img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/671a8a32ce21bb65df4b3506/69812da80dfa56211adb00b3_69812d963d77582cd4404f8d_verhuistrends-2026-v2-original.jpeg" alt="Professional movers loading boxes into a moving truck on a Dutch street at sunset" class="article-hero"> <!-- Content --> <div class="article-content"> <p class="lead-text">2026 will be a year of contrasts for the moving industry. On one hand, more work. On the other hand, rising costs that put pressure on your margins. The question is: are you prepared?</p> <p>The numbers don't lie. After years of uncertainty in the housing market, we are seeing recovery. More people are buying homes. More people are moving. But at the same time, your staff costs are rising, a <a href="/blog/vrachtwagenheffing-2026-verhuizers">truck toll</a> is coming, and finding staff is becoming increasingly difficult.</p> <p>In this article, we outline the most important moving trends of 2026. So you know what to watch out for. And more importantly: what you can do about it.</p> <h2>How is the housing market recovering in 2026?</h2> <p>For years, the housing market was unpredictable. Rising interest rates, declining transactions, buyers waiting on the sidelines. But the tide is turning.</p> <p>House prices rose by an average of 8.5% in 2025. The number of housing transactions increased by 13%. And for 2026, economists expect this trend to continue. ABN AMRO predicts a further price increase of 6% to 8%.</p> <div class="big-number"> <div class="big-number-value">1.73 mln</div> <div class="big-number-label">Expected moves in the Netherlands in 2026</div> </div> <p>After years of decline, the number of moves is stabilizing around 1.73 million per year. That is good news. More moves means more potential customers for your business.</p> <p>But there is a catch.</p> <h2>Why are your costs rising faster than your revenue?</h2> <p>More work is great. But not if your costs rise faster than your income. And that is exactly what is happening in 2026.</p> <div class="info-cards"> <div class="info-card"> <div class="info-card-value">+4%</div> <div class="info-card-label">CBA wage increase</div> </div> <div class="info-card"> <div class="info-card-value">EUR 0.19</div> <div class="info-card-label">Truck toll per km</div> </div> <div class="info-card"> <div class="info-card-value">+8.5%</div> <div class="info-card-label">House prices 2025</div> </div> </div> <p>As of January 1, 2026, the <a href="/blog/cao-2026">Collective Bargaining Agreement for Road Haulage</a> took effect with a 4% wage increase. That may not sound like much. But that 4% affects everything: holiday pay, pension contributions, social charges. Your actual staff costs rise by 5% to 6%.</p> <p>And then on July 1, 2026, the <a href="/blog/vrachtwagenheffing-2026-verhuizers">truck toll</a> kicks in. An average of 19 cents per kilometer. For a moving company that drives 200 kilometers daily, that is almost 40 euros extra per day. Per vehicle.</p> <div class="highlight-box"> <p>"The question is not whether your rates need to go up. The question is by how much. And whether you dare to communicate that to your customers."</p> </div> <h2>Why is finding staff becoming increasingly difficult?</h2> <p>This is perhaps the biggest challenge for moving companies in 2026. Not the lack of customers. But the lack of people.</p> <p>The numbers are concerning. In the Netherlands, there are only 92,363 professional drivers still active. That is a decline of 0.7% compared to last year. And the average age? It is 45.5 years.</p> <h3 class="table-title">Staffing challenges in the moving industry</h3> <div class="table-container"> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Challenge</th> <th>Figure</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Business owners citing staff shortage as biggest problem</td> <td><strong>44%</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Average driver age</td> <td><strong>45.5 years</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Decline in professional drivers</td> <td class="negative">-0.7%</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Vacancies open for more than 3 months</td> <td><strong>38%</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> <p>Almost half of all transport business owners cite staff shortage as their biggest barrier to growth. Not lack of capital. Not too few customers. But too few people to do the work.</p> <p>For moving companies, this means two things. First: you need to take care of your current team. Good working conditions, a pleasant work environment, and fair compensation are no longer a luxury. They are a necessity.</p> <p>Second: you need to work smarter. If you cannot find more people, you need to get more out of the people you have.</p> <h2>Which moving trends offer opportunities?</h2> <p>It is not all doom and gloom. There are also moving trends in 2026 that offer opportunities for forward-thinking moving companies.</p> <p><strong>Commercial moves are increasing.</strong> After years of working from home, companies are returning to the office. Or they are moving to smaller, more flexible spaces. B2B moves are often more profitable than residential jobs.</p> <p><strong>Sustainability is becoming a selling point.</strong> More and more customers are asking about electric moving. If you can show that you work sustainably, you have an edge over the competition. Moreover, with electric vehicles you pay less truck toll.</p> <p><strong>Digitalization pays off.</strong> Moving companies that have digitalized their processes work more efficiently. They make fewer mistakes. They invoice faster. And they have better insight into their numbers. Also read our blog about <a href="/blog/digitalisering">digitalization in the moving industry</a>.</p> <h2>What does this mean for your moving company?</h2> <p>The moving trends of 2026 are clear. More work, but also more costs. More demand, but also more competition for staff. The question is: what will you do about it?</p> <p>Here are five concrete actions you can take now:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Recalculate your rates.</strong> Have you already factored in the CBA increase? And the truck toll? Calculate what your hourly rate needs to be at minimum to stay healthy. With <a href="/oplossing/verkoop">smart quoting software</a> you can adjust rates quickly.</li> <li><strong>Invest in your team.</strong> Good people are scarce. Make sure your company is a place where people want to work. That starts with fair compensation and goes further with a good atmosphere and clear communication.</li> <li><strong>Digitalize where possible.</strong> Every minute you save on administration, you can spend on customers. Or on your team.</li> <li><strong>Focus on profitable segments.</strong> Not every move is equally profitable. Commercial moves and international moves often have better margins.</li> <li><strong>Monitor your numbers.</strong> You cannot steer on gut feeling. Know what your revenue is, what your margin is, and where you are leaking money.</li> </ul> <div class="summary-box"> <h3>Moving Trends 2026 summarized</h3> <ul class="summary-list"> <li><span class="label">Expected moves</span><span class="value">1.73 million</span></li> <li><span class="label">House price increase</span><span class="value">+6% to +8%</span></li> <li><span class="label">CBA wage increase</span><span class="value">+4%</span></li> <li><span class="label">Truck toll (from July)</span><span class="value">EUR 0.19/km</span></li> <li><span class="label">Biggest challenge</span><span class="value">Staff shortage</span></li> </ul> </div> <p>2026 will be a challenging year. But also a year full of opportunities for moving companies that have their affairs in order. That know what they earn. That have insight into their costs. And that are smart enough to adjust course when needed.</p> <p>The question is not whether the market is changing. The question is whether you are changing with it.</p> <!-- CTA --> <div class="cta-section"> <h2>Stay on top of your numbers with real-time insights</h2> <p>With the Bas dashboard you can see exactly how your business is performing. Revenue, margins, utilization. Everything at a glance.<br>In 30 minutes you will know how Bas can help your moving company.</p> <a href="https://bas.software/demo" class="cta-button">Book your demo now</a> </div> <!-- Sources --> <div class="sources"> <strong>Sources:</strong> ABN AMRO Housing Market Monitor 2025, CBS Moving Statistics, BPD Housing Market Heat Map, TLN Labor Market Report, STL Sector Monitor Q4 2025, IRU Driver Shortage Report. </div> </div> </article>