# How long do UK transport and storage companies take to pay suppliers?

Large UK transport and storage companies take a median of 35 days to pay supplier invoices, 4 days slower than the UK median of 31 days. The sector ranks 5 of 18, where 1 is the slowest payer.

Figures cover large UK companies paying all their suppliers.

- Median days to pay: 35 (UK: 31)
- Slowest-paying rank: 5 of 18
- Invoices paid late, median company: 14%
- Insolvencies, England and Wales, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026: 693
- Companies: 274

## Findings

- How many invoices are paid late? At the median company, 14% of invoices are paid late, 1 point below the UK figure of 15%.
- How long do most take? The middle half of companies pay in 26 to 43 days. A quarter take longer than 43 days.
- How many invoices go past 60 days? 4% of invoices take more than 60 days at the median company, against 5% across the UK.
- How many companies became insolvent? 693 transport and storage companies became insolvent in England and Wales over Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, rank 10 of 18 by number of cases. This is a count, not a rate.

## Where does transport and storage rank?

1. Manufacturing pays in a median of 45 days.
2. Water, sewerage and waste pays in a median of 37 days.
3. Wholesale and retail trade pays in a median of 37 days.
4. Accommodation and food service pays in a median of 36 days.
5. Transport and storage pays in a median of 35 days.
6. Construction pays in a median of 33 days.
7. Mining and quarrying pays in a median of 32 days.
8. Agriculture, forestry and fishing pays in a median of 31 days.
9. Other service activities pays in a median of 31 days.
10. Professional, scientific and technical pays in a median of 30 days.
11. Information and communication pays in a median of 29 days.
12. Arts, entertainment and recreation pays in a median of 28 days.
13. Administrative and support services pays in a median of 27 days.
14. Real estate pays in a median of 26.5 days.
15. Electricity and gas supply pays in a median of 26 days.
16. Human health and social work pays in a median of 26 days.
17. Education pays in a median of 25 days.
18. Financial and insurance pays in a median of 22 days.

## Which transport and storage trades pay slowest?

Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for land transport activities is the slowest trade at 43 days. Passenger rail transport, interurban is the fastest at 35 days.

| SIC | Trade | Median days | Middle half | Paid late | Firms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52103 | Operation of warehousing and storage facilities for land transport activities | 43 | 29 to 52.5 | 26.5% | 20 |
| 49410 | Freight transport by road | 38 | 32 to 46 | 15% | 44 |
| 49319 | Other urban, suburban or metropolitan passenger land transport (not underground, metro or similar) | 37 | 33.2 to 45 | 9% | 58 |
| 49100 | Passenger rail transport, interurban | 35 | 26.5 to 45.8 | 16.5% | 22 |

Businesses that sell to transport and storage companies can compare these figures with their own debtor days. Paidnice is [UK credit control software](https://www.paidnice.com/credit-control-software) that sends reminders and adds late fees on overdue invoices in Xero or QuickBooks. See [Paidnice for self-storage](https://www.paidnice.com/industries/self-storage).

## Related guides

- [UK credit control software](https://www.paidnice.com/credit-control-software)
- [Credit control for UK small businesses](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/credit-control-software-uk-small-businesses)
- [What is credit control?](https://www.paidnice.com/dictionary/credit-control)
- [UK accounts receivable statistics](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-kingdom)
- [Late payment interest calculator](https://www.paidnice.com/late-payment-interest-calculator)
- [Late payment fees in the UK](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/late-payment-fees-uk)
- [The UK late payment law changes](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/commercial-payments-bill-uk-late-payment-law)
- [Accounts receivable statistics](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics)
- [Accounts receivable software](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-software)

## Method and sources

This page reports how long large companies take to pay, from government payment filings. How long small businesses wait to be paid is a different measure on a different group of businesses, and it is on the accounts receivable statistics pages.

## Cite

Paidnice (2026). UK transport and storage payment times. https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk/transport-and-storage. Source: UK payment practices filings (March 2025 to August 2026), Companies House, Insolvency Service.