Marketing and logistics activities of road transport enterprises under martial law

Abstract

The article examines the marketing and logistics activities of road transport enterprises in Ukraine under full-scale martial law. It is argued that marketing and logistics in road transport do not operate as two parallel functions but form an integrated management loop in which customer value is shaped simultaneously with route safety and mobilisation legislation constraints. The dynamics of freight and passenger road transport for 2021–2025 are analysed, including the near-halving of freight volumes in 2022, mass licence revocations (over 8,500 in 2022), a driver shortage due to mobilisation (up to 50% in some companies), and rising fuel costs. The transformation of the carrier's marketing mix (4P/7P) is explored: the product portfolio's shift towards a hybrid circuit incorporating military orders, humanitarian corridors and evacuation logistics; the emergence of dynamic pricing linked to fuel indices; and the digitalisation of promotion channels through freight exchanges and the ProZorro public procurement system. Logistics adaptations are reviewed—from optimal to safe routing via risk-adjusted routing, the adoption of TMS, telematics and multimodal schemes involving the Danube corridor, where cargo throughput increased sixfold. An original model of marketing–logistics interaction based on three feedback loops (informational, constraining, strategic) is proposed and compared with the supply chain resilience concept in its "4R" variant. The regulatory framework is analysed—from the Law on the Legal Regime of Martial Law to the EU–Ukraine Road Transport Liberalisation Agreement extended until 2027—along with state support programmes such as "Affordable Loans 5-7-9%" and "eRobota". It is concluded that the resilience of a road transport enterprise in the post-war period will depend on the speed of market signals, the flexibility of the logistics network, and the quality of the regulatory environment.