Spanish Government approves urgent package of measures to shield freight transport from fuel price surge

Spain’s Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility led by Óscar Puente, has given the green light to a new Royal Decree-Law that strengthens the protection of the freight transport sector.

The decision, adopted in a context of energy volatility aggravated by the war in the Middle East, seeks to ensure that the country’s logistics chain does not suffer and that carriers can continue operating without assuming the diesel surcharge alone. The Executive stresses that the sector is strategic for the Spanish economy, and that without its proper functioning, supply and industrial competitiveness are endangered.

The main novelty of the package, and without a doubt the most significant for carriers, is the imposition on shippers of the obligation to automatically review the transport price whenever fuel varies. Specifically, when the increase exceeds the 5% threshold, the rate must be updated automatically. This measure, already outlined in previous regulations, is now consolidated with a dynamic and permanent mechanism. The goal is clear: that the carrier stops assuming the energy risk and that the shipper pays the real cost of the service at all times, thus protecting the viability of thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector.

For the previous measure to be effective, the Government has opted for transparency and strictness. From now on, the fuel component must appear expressly, in detail, and broken down on each invoice, so that it is not hidden in a flat rate. And most importantly: a specific sanctioning regime has been created that will punish both occasional and repeated non-compliance by shippers. In this way, the carrier has legal tools to claim, and the shipper knows that not updating the rates will have consequences. The Executive’s message is forceful: the rise in diesel prices cannot be absorbed by the person driving the truck.

Although the media focus has been on road transport, the Royal Decree-Law also includes measures for rail and maritime freight transport. In the first case, direct aid of €15,000 per active diesel locomotive has been approved, with a budget of €3.15 million, to compensate for the fuel surcharge and prevent the train from losing competitiveness against the truck. As for maritime transport, the Government has increased the budget for existing aid by €7 million, aimed at guaranteeing peninsular connectivity with the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla. This protects supply in extra-peninsular territories, especially vulnerable to any logistical disruption.

The decree not only reinforces aid for large-scale freight transport but also extends its umbrella to other groups that had been left in the background. Among the new features, the inclusion of Eurotaxis and taxis adapted for people with reduced mobility stands out, as well as specific adaptations for the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. With this gesture, the Government recognizes that the rise in fuel prices affects the entire mobility chain and that protecting professional transport also means attending to those who provide essential local services. The approval, resulting from dialogue with the National Road Transport Committee, demonstrates a willingness to leave no one behind.

Minister Óscar Puente has wanted to emphasize that these measures are not an improvised reaction, but the result of “a process of dialogue and agreement” with the National Road Transport Committee itself (CNTC). The Executive thus reinforces Royal Decree-Law 7/2026, approved last March 20, and consolidates a price review mechanism with a vocation for permanence. In a complex international context, where war continues to drive up energy costs, the Government sends a clear message to carriers: they are not alone. The commitment to an efficient, competitive, and sustainable transport system involves protecting those who move 96% of goods in Spain.