DHL Express Reports 9.4% Q2 Weight Surge as Geopolitics Push Heavy Cargo to Express

Why DHL Express Is Moving Heavier Shipments

DHL Express is carrying markedly heavier freight across its European network. Mike Parra, chief executive of DHL Express Europe, said weight growth in the region has been running in the high single digits in recent weeks, while the division's Time Definite International product recorded a 9.4% year-on-year increase in shipment weight for the second quarter. Europe contributed a 2.9% rise.

The change is part of a long-term evolution. Since DHL began in 1969, when it mainly moved documents, the average express item has become steadily heavier. More recently, e-commerce platforms have shifted a portion of high-volume, low-weight traffic to cheaper bulk transport and local last-mile networks, leaving a higher proportion of heavier goods in express channels. The current geopolitical instability, including the conflict in Iran, has accelerated that mix shift because urgent industrial parts are increasingly routed through express networks for speed, reliability and simpler pricing.

DHL has responded with a Heavy Weight Express service launched at the start of the year. It accepts pieces up to 1,000 kg and shipments up to 3,000 kg, offering time-definite delivery, end-to-end control and all-inclusive pricing. Parra said customers quickly adapt to the dependability of express, and he does not expect the geopolitical driver to be temporary.

What the Heavier Cargo Shift Means for DHL, Forwarders and EU E-Commerce

Express and forwarding: complementary or competing?

Parra framed the heavyweight push as serving urgent needs, such as a downed oil rig requiring a 300 kg part quickly, rather than diverting business from DHL's forwarding division. But Group CEO Tobias Meyer said on the recent earnings call that express has been taking share from the general airfreight market for 50 years and has improved its cost competitiveness relative to forwarding. The strategic statements point in different directions: operationally the two units can be complementary, but commercially the boundary is already shifting.

The Iran conflict forced a rapid network re-routing

When the conflict disrupted normal Middle East flows, DHL moved operations from Bahrain and Dubai to Riyadh and Muscat within 48 hours. The episode illustrates why shippers with critical cargo accept premium express pricing: a fixed network with alternative hubs can maintain service when other freight options are disrupted. DHL also added widebody Boeing 767 and 777 capacity to European routes to absorb demand.

EU import charges are dampening e-commerce, but modestly

The EU's new €3 charge on shipments valued under €150 took effect in July and added data requirements. DHL says e-commerce volumes have fallen in single digits, not double digits, after one month. Parra cautioned that the full impact is still unclear. His view that the charge may hit very low-cost, one-off purchases hardest is a reasonable interpretation, because the fee is proportionally larger for cheap items. A further €2 processing fee arrives in November, which could push some sellers toward regional warehousing and traditional distribution networks.

Semiconductors, data centres and tariff diversions are adding volume

DHL Express has also benefited from stronger semiconductor and data centre demand. Since the current US administration introduced tariffs, some Asia-Pacific companies have redirected trade away from the US to other regions, changing freight patterns. Combined with low water levels on Germany's rivers, which disrupted barge operations, these factors have increased demand for time-definite intra-European air solutions.

How Urgent Shippers Should Read DHL's Heavyweight Pivot

• Industrial shippers with urgent parts above 100 kg should evaluate DHL's Heavy Weight Express service, launched at the start of the year, which handles pieces up to 1,000 kg and shipments up to 3,000 kg with all-inclusive pricing that may reduce exposure to rate volatility.
• Businesses moving goods through the Middle East should verify DHL's revised routing through Riyadh and Muscat after the 48-hour network shift from Bahrain and Dubai, since transit times and available capacity have changed.
• EU e-commerce sellers with products under €150 should model the combined impact of the July €3 charge and the November €2 processing fee; DHL's early data suggests low-cost one-off items face the largest relative cost increase.
• Operators reliant on German barge transport should check DHL's intra-European air network as a contingency, because the company has positioned those routes as a solution during low-water disruptions.