Flagging out in road freight transport: a strategy to reduce corporate costs in a competitive environment: Results from a longitudinal study in Austria

•Our longitudinal study comprises four waves of surveys on the topic of flagging out HGV by Austrian road transport operators.•The survey included attitudes, reasons and motives of the flagging out.•The development of the phenomenon and its impacts are addressed.

Following the example of maritime transport, the relocation of fleets abroad – referred to as flagging out – has become an important cost reduction strategy for road freight transport companies. Particularly after the EU Eastern Enlargement in 2004, many Austrian road freight transport companies took advantage of both the freedom of services and the lower costs in New Member States. This paper shows the results of four waves of surveys of Austrian road hauliers, describing developments, attitudes, motives and impacts of the phenomenon. There is also a discussion about the significance of the problem, which was seldom referred to in the scientific literature.