New transport model: stages of document digitalization in road transport in Spain and Europe

AECOC’s 25th National Transport Forum served as a meeting point to clarify the regulatory impact of the document digitalization in transport for companies in the sector, both at national and European level.

Thus, the Sustainable Mobility Law, the draft royal decree that will amend the Land Transport Regulation (ROTT) and the eFTI Regulation are the regulatory axes on which the new model of road freight transport, the most widely used mode of transport and with the greatest economic and social impact, is built.

Document digitalization of road transport in Spain

Although Spanish regulations have been designed with a view to European advances, Spain has its own regulation on the digitalization of road transport documents , and it is divided into two phases:

Phase 1 of document digitalization transport

Although the ROTT and the different regulations for each document used in land transport have already allowed the use of electronic versions of documents for years, the Sustainable Mobility Law is the first regulation that requires the digitalization of one of them, the control document.

Thus, the first phase of the digitalization of transport documentation in Spain is based on the entry into force of the mandatory use of the digital control document on October 5, 2026.

This stage focuses on the elimination of paper through the mandatory use of the pdf format of this document for in-transit verifications.

This first step improves management, guarantees traceability and facilitates the exchange of information between control agents and companies.

In addition, it serves as a lever for companies in the value chain to advance in their digital transformation, taking into account that the next stage entails greater obligations and greater technical complexity.

Phase 2 of document digitalization transport

This second phase has already begun with the launch by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility of a draft royal decree to amend the ROTT, which details and technically implements the Land Transport Management Act (LOTT).

This draft regulation, which has been submitted for public consultation, establishes the requirements for the digital exchange of transport data, guaranteeing security and interoperability.

In other words, there is a shift from the digitization of documents in the first phase to the digitization of data, which obliges companies to have robust digitization solutions that meet the security and technical requirements that are established and that will correspond to those defined by the eFTI Regulation.

To learn about the real implications of the digitization of the transport document ecosystem, read the post Countdown to the Electronic Road Freight Transport Document.

Digitization of transport documents in Europe

In Europe, the digitization of road transport is directly focused on electronic data interchange, as defined by the eFTI Regulation.

The Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention already enabled the use of electronic CMR or eCMR between adhering countries in 2008. However, it is the eFTI Regulation that takes the final step to make the electronic exchange of data between the administration and companies mandatory as of 2027.

Learn all the details of the eFTI Regulation in the post New era of the road: digitization of transport documents in the Sustainable Mobility Act and the eFTI Regulation.

Everything analyzed, both at national and European level, leads us to make a resounding statement: road freight transport is entering a new era marked by digitization, which means that all companies must start their digital transformation as soon as possible, not only to comply with regulatory requirements, but also because it means an improvement in competitiveness, collaboration and efficiency.

Change management in the digitization of transport documents

Beyond the technical issues, easily solved by the availability of solutions on the market, the main challenge of the digitization of transport data is focused on the human side.

As highlighted at AECOC’s 25th National Transport Forum, there is a cultural barrier in the digital transformation of transport and, therefore, it is important to develop a good change management strategy when introducing a digitization solution.

At the end of the day, the users of these solutions will be the drivers and warehouse personnel, and therefore they must be part of the transformation process to ensure that the implemented solution brings them tangible benefits on a day-to-day basis.

At FIELDEAS Track and Trace we have been working with this premise for a decade and, consequently, we have developed a methodology focused on change management, the CAFS methodology.

CAFS Methodology for change management

The CAFS methodology consists of four steps to accompany our clients in change management:

• Communicate: Accurately communicate the initiative and specific implementation deadlines, objectives and added value for all stakeholders in the process.
• Assist: Perform a correct analysis of the employee’s situation, selecting the appropriate implementation model for each participant.
• Train: Conduct appropriate training to ensure adequate training of each participant in the process.
• Monitor: Actively monitor, identify adoption bottlenecks and implement reinforcement measures if necessary.

Interoperability in the digitization of transport documents

Another challenge mentioned at the 25th National Transportation Forum was that of interoperability.

Beyond implementing a digitization solution for the transport document ecosystem, it is important to ensure communication with other external systems, in order to facilitate the flow of data with customers and suppliers.

Thus, open systems based on APIs and with the capacity to adapt to any other future regulation and to the certification requirements of the eFTI Regulation, such as the document digitalization module of FIELDEAS Track and Trace, Smart Docs Hub, should be used.

Other road freight transport challenges

In addition to the challenges of digitization, transportation faces other challenges that hinder its transformation:

• Driver shortage: a global challenge whose solution lies in ensuring drivers’ work-life balance and making the profession more attractive to new generations.
• Sustainability: Among other regulations, especially European ones, the Sustainable Mobility Law requires carbon footprint reporting, which entails new technological developments.
• Autonomous vehicle: the industry sees the autonomous vehicle as the solution to the driver shortage and empty trips. Although developments are already underway, implementation seems a long way off.
• Geopolitical uncertainty: Although indirectly, all the conflicts that are arising in the Middle East have an impact on transportation costs, especially on the price of diesel. Being informed and having a visibility and traceability solution in place is vital to ensure resilience.

For all these challenges, we always see the same solution: digitization. Because it makes it possible to improve the drivers’ work-life balance, achieve environmental objectives, reduce time and costs, and obtain full visibility and traceability of the chain.

In addition, it is important to have digitization solutions based on collaboration, where all actors in the chain are involved and have visibility and traceability.