The second study on document digitisation in transport starts up by CEL and FIELDEAS

The Spanish Logistics Center (CEL) and the technology company FIELDEAS have launched a new study on document digitisation in road freight transport.

Specifically, it is the II Study on the Challenges and Benefits of Document Digitisation in Road Freight Transport. This is a continuation of the Study on the Degree of Implementation of eCMR in Spain, which we published in 2024.

As in the previous edition, this new study has the collaboration of various industry associations, such as the Spanish Shippers’ Council, the International Road Transport Association (ASTIC), the European Shippers Council (ESC) and the Global Shippers Alliance (GSA).

Turning point for road digitalization

This study arises from the motivation to know how companies in the supply chain are facing the arrival of the first mandatory regulation regarding the digitalization of a transport document.

To date, the digitalization of the different transport documents has depended on the will of the companies themselves, despite the fact that the regulations have been supporting for years the use of electronic versions of any transport document, from the consignment note to the eCMR, including the control document or the delivery note.

However, the Sustainable Mobility Act makes it mandatory to use the digital control document from October 5, 2026 for all national freight transport.

This milestone is the first step in an unprecedented digital transformation for the sector, which has always been based on paper and traditional procedures.

Fixed regulatory course: towards full digitalization of the road transport chain

However, beyond the Sustainable Mobility Law, which only focuses on the control document, it is necessary to look at the other regulations that also contemplate the obligation to digitize the documentary ecosystem of transport.

Specifically, we are talking about the Draft Royal Decree that will amend the ROTT and the eFTI Regulation, both with different application (national and European respectively), but with the same objective: to digitize transport data, going beyond the digitization of transport documents.

Read the post New era of the road: digitization of transport documents in the Sustainable Mobility Act and the eFTI Regulation to learn about both regulations in detail.

This means that the October 5, 2026 binding is only the first step in a more far-reaching binding.

With all this context in mind, how are supply chain companies acting? Are they prepared? Do they know how to digitize their document ecosystem?

Study on document digitisation: all the voices, all the answers

Precisely the realization of the II Study on challenges and benefits of document digitisation in road freight transport aims to answer all these questions and bring together all the voices of the sector in a single point to find out the main concerns and the different positions of the companies in the chain regarding document digitalization.

Main contents of the study on the digitisation of transport documents

The acceleration of the digital transformation of the industry has resulted in the need to restructure processes, with the implications for all companies in the industry, from shippers to carriers and logistics operators.

Therefore, this study aims to shed light on:

• How are shippers, carriers and operators coping with this transition?
• What is the real position of supply chain companies in the face of digitization?
• What is the level of awareness of digital progress, both in Spain and in Europe?
• What challenges, barriers and opportunities exist

In addition, this study will serve to compare the data obtained in the 2024 report and will also allow us to know the advantages and benefits that companies detect in this new challenge.

How to participate in the second study on the digitisation of transport documents

Based on a quantitative and qualitative analysis, this study aims to organize ideas, clarify concepts and understand what the sector needs, what its main demands are and take a snapshot of the degree of digitization of transport documents in Spain.

As this is a study for the sector, it is not conceivable to carry it out without the opinion of experts.

Thus, any loading company, transport company or operator can participate in the participate in the short quantitative survey to offer their point of view.

In addition, any expert in the road transport chain can request to participate in any of the focus groups that will be carried out:

• Madrid (May 12)
• Santiago de Compostela (May 21)
• Barcelona (June 5)
• Valencia (June 17)

Request participation by sending an e-mail to [email protected] and indicating the city in which you would like to participate.

Schedule an appointment: October 6

And when will we be able to see the result of all this consultation? On Tuesday, October 6, one day after the entry into force of the mandatory digital control document, we will present this study in Madrid.