Abstract: The study takes a comparative approach by investigating the situation in the hinterlands of two different port areas in Europe: Antwerp (Belgium) and Gdansk-Gdynia agglomeration (Poland). Both port centres have an important road hinterland connection that faces competition from other alternative modes of freight transport. However, the Port of Antwerp is already one of the leading ports of the continent while the ports of Gdansk and Gdynia are at the stage of building their competitive position. In the paper the results for both ports obtained using different methodologies are compared. Existing spatial analogies allow making conclusions that are valid for both environments. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee.