The latest data from the Permanent Observatory of Late Payments and Payments in the road transport sector in Spain, compiled monthly by trade organization Fenadismer, indicates a noteworthy decline in payment arrears by as much as two-thirds.
In September, a noticeable decrease in payment terms was observed, reaching an average of 65 days. This marks the first time since the inception of the Permanent Delinquency Observatory, prepared monthly by Fenadismer in collaboration with the Quijote Foundation for Transport, that payment delays have been at such a low level.
The September figure is notably close to the maximum legal payment period established by law.
For the month in question, approximately 66% of shipping and intermediary companies that were non-compliant had relatively minor payment delays, ranging between 60 and 90 days. Conversely, there were still 11% of non-compliant companies that experienced payment delays of up to 120 days, reflecting significant improvement compared to the situation in 2022 when more than 20% fell into this category.
August name-and-shame list included DHL and Kuehne+Nagel
The Spanish Ministry of Transport published a list of companies that have faced fines for their failure to pay hauliers on time in August for the first time.
This list included 64 companies, with fines ranging from €701 to over €25,000. Notably, none of the companies were fined the maximum allowable amount of €30,000.
The highest fine, amounting to €25,206, was imposed on AtilaTrans, a company providing a wide range of transport services. Interestingly, this same company faced another fine of €5603, although the reasons behind multiple fines are not provided in the official list.
The second and third highest fines were imposed on Mednartrans and Crisnova Vidrio, at €16,800 and €11,203, respectively. Global transport and logistics company Kuehne+Nagel faced a fine of €2,801, while the Spanish branch of DHL received two fines, one for €2,001 and another for €2,002.
Spanish government determined to achieve transparency and accountability in the transport sector
The Spanish Ministry of Transport, in accordance with the provisions of Law 13/2021, made it clear in October 2021 that a list of offending companies would be regularly published. This move aimed to enhance transparency and accountability in the road transport sector, promote fair business practices, and encourage timely payments.
These measures were prompted by the findings of the Permanent Observatory on Late Payments and Payments in the Spanish Road Transport Sector for May, which reported a slight increase in payment times, with an average delay of 70 days.
The fines are linked to the value of the transportation, with the highest fine reaching €30,000 in cases where the creditor’s financial solvency is significantly impacted or the legal payment period exceeds 120 days.