Key points:
- Technical failure confirmed: Between 5 October and 19 October 2026, tablets used by the Guardia Civil experienced problems downloading and displaying DeCA documents.
- Compliant carriers were also affected: Technical problems led to infringement reports against hauliers that had met the relevant requirements.
- Regional authorities told to close cases: Spain’s Transport Ministry instructed the autonomous communities to immediately close proceedings based solely on the inability to retrieve a DeCA document during this period.
- Not every case will be closed: The decision does not cover other breaches, such as missing mandatory information in the electronic document.
- FENADISMER welcomes the decision: The federation had already warned about technical problems and called for a penalty-free transition period.
Spain introduced the mandatory DeCA digital control document on 5 October 2026. Within days, FENADISMER reported that drivers were receiving fines of more than €400 even when they had the required document and QR code, because inspectors could not always access the file during roadside checks.
The General Directorate of Road and Rail Transport has now confirmed that the control system experienced technical difficulties during the first two weeks after the new rules came into force.
Between 5 October and 19 October, tablets used by Guardia Civil traffic patrols often failed to download or display the digital documentation required during inspections. As a result, infringement reports were issued against carriers that, according to the ministry, had in fact complied with the rules.
Ministry orders cases to be closed
The central issue was that, after an inspection, it was not always possible to establish whether a carrier lacked the required document or whether a technical failure had simply prevented officers from viewing it. The Transport Ministry therefore sent formal instructions to the autonomous communities, which are responsible for handling proceedings based on reports prepared by the Guardia Civil.
Regional administrations must immediately close cases opened between 5 October and 19 October when the only reason for the report was the inability to retrieve the DeCA document.
The instruction changes the position of carriers affected during the system’s initial rollout. At that stage, companies could be held responsible even when the problem was not a missing document but a technical failure that prevented access to it.
Not every DeCA case will be dropped
The ministry’s decision does not cancel every proceeding linked to DeCA. If the alleged breach involved a separate obligation, such as missing required information in the electronic control document, the case will continue under the standard procedure.
Only cases caused by the inability to download or display the document during an inspection covered by the ministry’s instruction are eligible for closure.
FENADISMER: carriers should not pay for technical failures
FENADISMER had warned about possible technical problems before DeCA became mandatory and called for a transition period without penalties. The federation welcomed the ministry’s decision, arguing that transport companies should not be penalised for technical failures within the administration’s system.
The organisation had maintained from the outset that both carriers and enforcement authorities needed time to adapt to the new digital system.
What does this mean for foreign carriers?
For Polish companies carrying out transport operations in Spain that are covered by DeCA, two details are particularly important: the inspection date and the reason the proceedings were opened. If, between 5 October and 19 October, the only issue was the inability to download or display the electronic document during the inspection, the case should be closed under the ministry’s instruction.
This does not remove the obligation to prepare the DeCA document correctly. Missing mandatory data or other document-related breaches may still result in enforcement proceedings.
The ministry’s decision does, however, confirm that at least some of the problems reported by carriers after 5 October were caused by the inspection system rather than by companies failing to meet their obligations.
