Mandatory Digitalization: A Beacon in the Regulatory Fog of Road Transport

As of October 5, 2026, the physical transport control document will become a thing of the past in Spain. This measure, driven by the Sustainable Mobility Law, marks a turning point towards greater efficiency and traceability. However, for many companies, this beam of modernity illuminates a broader and more challenging panorama: that of a sector moving at multiple speeds, where innovation clashes with a reality of suffocating costs and a regulatory maze that penalizes long-term planning.

As well documented by the digital magazine Diario de Transporte, road transport is facing a year of extreme tensions. The volatility in fuel prices, which accounts for a third of operating costs, and the widespread increase in insurance, tolls, and financing are drastically eroding margins. To this is added an authentic “regulatory cataract,” coming from municipal, regional, national, and European instances, which generates paralyzing legal uncertainty. The European principle of ‘legislating less and better’ is conspicuous by its absence, plunging companies, especially SMEs, into a state of perpetual adaptation.

The perfect storm is completed by two structural factors. On the one hand, the chronic shortage of professional drivers, with an average age approaching 54 and a worrying gender imbalance, threatens the very operational capacity of the sector. Public aid, such as that of the ‘Plan Reconduce’, has been described by experts as merely symbolic. On the other hand, the energy transition, although tempered by recent pragmatic revisions in Brussels, continues to represent a sword of Damocles with future costs such as emission tolls or ETS II, which could mean an overcost of up to 1.2 million euros per year for a fleet of 100 vehicles.

Faced with this scenario, the voice of the industry is stepping on the brake of prudence. Ramón Valdivia, executive vice president of ASTIC, emphasizes: “To guarantee the viability of this strategic sector, we need legal security and regulatory stability within a framework of collaboration, realism, and common sense.” This demand, shared by a large part of the business fabric, points out that digitalization, by itself, will not be enough. A stable framework is required that allows companies to breathe and make the necessary investments in fleet renewal and talent acquisition.

2026 therefore presents itself as a pivotal year. While technology drives irreversible changes, the sector’s ability to navigate the crisis will depend on whether administrations combine climate and digital ambition with economic realism. Success will not be measured only by the implementation of the electronic document, but by the creation of an ecosystem where regulation is an instrument of progress and not a burden. The road to comprehensive sustainability—economic, social, and environmental—requires, above all, a clear and consensual map.