Can transport keep pace with business needs? Let’s find out at Cargo Conference Belgrade on 29 October, 300 participants from across Europe

Last updated Οκτ 14, 2026

An interesting story marked the beginning of October: a freight train set off from Croatia for Serbia, taking a detour through Bosnia and Herzegovina, and arrived a day earlier than it would have via the usual route.

Although this was only a test run on a trial route, the decision by the railway company once again brought waiting times and congestion at border crossings into the spotlight, casting a shadow over transport links across Southeast Europe. At the same time, the example reopened a broader question: are existing transport routes reliable and efficient enough to keep pace with the dynamics of international trade?

Representatives of the transport and logistics industry, national and international institutions, freight owners and the academic community will come together in Belgrade to seek answers to this and many other pressing questions. Encouraged by strong interest and the success of the previous two editions, PlutonLogistics and Pluton Media will host the third edition of Cargo Conference Belgrade on October 29th, 2026. Under the title “Multimodal 360”, the international conference will bring together around 300 participants at the Hilton Belgrade. Most places have already been booked, and attendees are coming from almost 20 countries.

More than 25 speakers will take the stage. In addition to panel discussions and individual presentations, this year’s Cargo Conference Belgrade will also feature live interviews. The program introduces new ways for the audience to participate in discussions, and the organizers promise that this is not the only surprise they have in store.

How to Solve the Rubik’s Cube?

Until recently, logistics in Serbia and the wider region may have resembled a complicated puzzle, but over the past year it has become more like a Rubik’s Cube. The challenges include the Schengen 90/180-day rule and an alarming shortage of truck drivers; January’s border blockades, the threat of further protests by trucking companies, and rising road transportation costs; problems caused by low water levels on the Danube; an unpredictable rail network; and volatile conditions on maritime routes.

At Cargo Conference Belgrade 2026, representatives of domestic and international companies, business associations, national and international institutions, and freight owners will focus on some of the key questions:

How is international trade shaping transport routes? How are traditional routes evolving, and what new routes are emerging?
The price of the railway revival: Why are construction works that bring progress also making transport more difficult?
The role of intermodal terminals and ports: What is missing from Southeast Europe’s key transport hubs?
Why do inland waterways remain an untapped logistics potential?
Regulations setting the pace: The Entry/Exit System, CBAM, eFTI and much more.
Cooperation between businesses and customs authorities: What benefits can businesses gain from the digitalization and automation of customs procedures?
A new era of end-to-end logistics: Trends in connecting different modes of transport and examples of best practice.
The race to cut emissions: Are efficiency and costs the only priorities for freight owners, or is sustainability also coming into play?
Multimodal 2.0: How is digitalization changing the rules of the game and improving connectivity?

In the section “Sounds like fun, but it’s a very serious matter”, we will also be tackling the following questions:

They’re our stars: Serbian exports to Italy are growing, and so are exports to Türkiye. How has Türkiye almost made it into the top five?
Where did that come from? Serbia’s first electric truck: how does it work, is it cost-effective, and who is the pioneer behind it?
Double trouble: Closures in Serbia and Romania are disrupting rail connections between Turkey and Central and Western Europe. Can both happen at the same time?
On thin ice: How are drivers from the Western Balkans currently working in the EU? Have Croatian visas solved part of the problem, or are we still in a checkmate situation?
Taking the longer way around to get there sooner: Is the situation at the Šid border crossing so bad that trains from Croatia to Serbia have to travel via Bosnia and Herzegovina?
Show me the money! Road freight rates in challenging times: will they come down?

Intermodal transport’s share of rail freight declines in Serbia

Road transport is the undisputed champion in Serbia, accounting for nearly 65% of total freight transport in the first half of 2026, measured in tonne-kilometers. This makes it clear that border issues, drivers’ permitted stays in the Schengen Area and the requirements imposed on road hauliers must remain firmly in the public spotlight.

Rail freight, on the other hand, has been the subject of intensive discussion and is undoubtedly attracting considerable interest from the business community, but the statistics so far have offered little cause for celebration. In 2025, less freight was carried on the rail network than in the previous year. Intermodal transport also recorded a negative trend. Of the total 2.4 billion net tonne-kilometers recorded in rail freight transport, approximately 625.8 million were generated by trains operating in intermodal traffic, representing a share of around 26.08%. Compared with 2024, the share of intermodal transport fell by approximately 10% in 2025. Why did this happen, and how can it be explained? These are among the questions we will also seek to answer at Cargo Conference Belgrade. One positive sign is the approximately 7% increase in the volume of goods transported by rail in the first half of 2026.

Sponsors of Cargo Conference Belgrade “Multimodal 360” include METRANS, VTG, CER Cargo, Nelt Group, PepsiCo, FERCAM, Port of Adria, Port of Thessaloniki, DSV, Log Rail, International Vessel & Barge Chartering, Union Šped, Vecar Viljuškari, BursaTransport 123cargo, IVECO – Auto Čačak Komerc, MBOX Terminals, Foxit and others. Media partners include domestic and regional outlets Biznis.rs, Sve o novcu, Biznis i finansije, scm.hr, Pomorac.hr and supply-chain.gr.

About the Organizers

Cargo Conference Belgrade is organized by PlutonLogistics, a specialized regional media platform that has been bringing together professionals from the transport, logistics, supply chain and trade sectors since 2013.

For more information please contact
Milica Milosavljevic, Pluton Media
+381 63 637179
Email: milica.milosavljevic@plutonmedia.digital
Website: plutonlogistics.com