Abstract
For all the European countries, Road has become the main transport mode for freight. Many factors, grouped within two main fields, are able to explain this domination : road transport productivity improvement ; transport demand qualitative shifts.
But, paradoxically, the domination of freight road transport do not lead to a good situation for the carriers. Another threat is darkening the future of road freight transport, stemming from the strengthening preference in favor of environment. So, in the medium and long run, road transport prices are bound to increase.
Can these tendencies put an end to the domination of road transport ? If the trend in favor of road transport can be reversed, it is not likely that the share of the road can be really modified in favor of rail or inland waterway.