Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on road transport documents

Numerous road transport documents are used in day-to-day road freight transport: control document, consignment note, CMR, delivery note, stowage form, waybill…

All of road transport documents are relevant, but not all of them are required by law. All of them can be used in digital format, but some must be digital on a mandatory basis.

With the existing volume of regulations and the recent approval of the Sustainable Mobility Law, which makes it compulsory to digitalize the the digitization of the Control Document as compulsoryMany doubts have arisen regarding road transport documents.

Therefore, in this post we are going to address the main frequently asked questions or FAQs around the digitization of road transport documents.

Since when is the control document in digital format mandatory?

From October 5, 2026. This is determined in the eighth transitory provision of the Sustainable Mobility Law.

“The Administrative Control Document required for the performance of public transport of goods by road, regulated in Order FOM/2861/2012, of December 13, must necessarily be digital ten months after the entry into force of this law.”

Taking into account that it was published in the BOE on December 4, 2025, it will be on October 5, 2026 when the Digital Control Document will be mandatory in Spain.

Which companies are affected by this obligation: carriers, shippers or operators?

All of them. Loading and transport companies in particular must be prepared for the mandatory introduction of the Digital Control Document in October 2026, as they are responsible for issuing it. However, all players in the chain must be prepared, as paper will not be used under any circumstances.

Does the digital control document have the same legal validity as the paper document?

Yes, as long as it complies with the document digitalization requirements included in the ROTT as amended in May 2023:

• The data entered must be accessible to any person authorized to do so.
• Data storage and document delivery must be guaranteed.
• In those cases in which the regulations applicable to each control document establish the need for the signature of one or all of the intervening parties, such signatures shall be required:

a). Be linked only to the signatory.

b). Allow identification of the signatory.

c). Have been created using means that the signatory can maintain under his exclusive control.

d). Be linked to the data to which it refers so that any subsequent modification of the data can be detected.

Does the control document require signature?

No, but it is an aspect that must be taken into account when digitizing the document management of road freight transport, since the technological solution must comply with the requirements of the ROTT and eIDAS. ROTT and eIDASrequirements, as does the SeamLess eCMR from FIELDEAS Track and Trace.

What are the penalties for not carrying the digital control document or any road transport documents?

Failure to carry or present the Digital Control Document can result in fines ranging from several hundred to several thousand euros and, in serious cases, immobilization of the vehicle or retention of the load.

This obligation mainly affects contractual shippers and actual carriers, and is included in the Ley de Ordenación de los Transportes Terrestres (LOTT), art. 141, which establishes penalties for not having the mandatory documentation.

As of October 2026, the document will be exclusively digital, without the possibility of using paper.

Who is responsible for ensuring that the control document is correctly issued and available?

Article 4 of Order FOM/2861/2012, which regulates the control document, states that:

They shall be obliged to formalize the control document:

a) The actual carrier, which is the person, natural or legal, holder of the authorization under whose protection the transport is materially carried out.

b) The contractual shipper is the person, whether natural or legal, who contracts directly with the actual carrier for the transport of the shipment, whether it is the actual shipper or another carrier, a cooperative or marketing company, a transport agency, a freight forwarder, a warehouseman-distributor, a logistics operator or any other person who habitually contracts transport or habitually intermediaries in its contracting.

Does any software work or must it comply with legal requirements?

No, not just any document digitalization software will do. It must be a solution that takes into account all the regulatory requirements included in the FOM/2861/2012 Order and in the ROTT.

In addition, it must be a supplier approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Sustainable Mobility for the documents to be valid for in-transit control.

The document digitalization module of FIELDEAS Track and Trace meets these requirements.

Is the FIELDEAS Track and Trace digital control document generated valid for a transport inspection?

Yes, FIELDEAS is a supplier approved by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, which means that the documents generated and presented in the inspections comply with the validation requirements.

Specifically, it allows the generation of a QR code that the driver can present to the agent, who will access the document in digital format and will be able to check its validity.

What do drivers need to use the digital control document with FIELDEAS Track and Trace?

FIELDEAS Track and Trace offers two ways for drivers to consult and present the Control Document: with or without the Track and Trace app. In the latter case, they can access the document from a link that will be sent to them via OTP (sms, WhatsApp, mail).

Can the data be modified in road transport documents if there are changes in the load or route?

Yes, the Digital Control Document data can be modified if there are changes in the load or route. The solution allows these modifications, but only authorized actors can make them, and there is always a record of the change, ensuring traceability and transparency.

How can the driver show the digital control document at an inspection?

The document digitalization module of FIELDEAS Track and Trace generates a QR code that allows the authorities to check the documentation quickly and securely, in line with the requirements of the ROTT.

Does the digitization of road transport documents really reduce administrative time?

Yes. The Digital Control Document, and any other digitized transport document, drastically reduces administrative time, with savings of up to 60% by eliminating paper, physical signatures, scanning and manual exchange of documents, as well as making information immediately available to authorized stakeholders.

In addition, this translates in terms of cost savings into an 80% ROI.

Can the Digital Control Document be integrated with other digital documents such as the waybill, eCMR, etc?

Yes, the FIELDEAS Track and Trace SeamLess eCMR allows you to digitize any type of transport document and integrate them with each other.

In addition, as many documents share data, the platform allows documents to be filled in automatically, saving time and avoiding errors.

Is FIELDEAS Track and Trace ready for future industry digital obligations?

Yes, FIELDEAS Track and Trace has been accompanying companies in the sector for a decade in their document and process digitalization, always guaranteeing regulatory compliance and with the flexibility to adapt to any change.

It takes into account both Spanish and European regulations, where the eFTI Regulation will mark the digital path of the road freight transport sector.