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Spain supports hauliers that help switch freight transport to ocean

Spain has launched a 60-million-euro scheme for hauliers to support the switch from road freight to other modes, writes the country's freight association, Fenadismer. There is no limit to the number of subsidies that a company can apply for, but there are some requirements they must meet.

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The objective of the program is to encourage hauliers, shippers and logistics operators, to put their HGVs onto ships to consolidate and increase the share of maritime freight transport and promote the transfer from the road.

With the help of the scheme, hauliers can replace some of their road freight journeys with maritime shipping and the subsidy shall cover the extra costs of the swap. The external costs that will be taken into account to set the amount of aid for each journey are climate change (greenhouse gases), air pollution, congestion, accident rates and noise.

Once the shipping companies agree on the transport, hauliers will be eligible for subsidies. The amount of the subsidy will be set for each vehicle in each section. When the haulier decides to switch from HGVs to shipping to make the international journey, it can request the subsidy that will have been preset for that specific journey.

There is no limit to the number of subsidies that a company can apply for.

However, there are some requirements, hauliers must meet to be eligible for the scheme. Firstly, the transportation must connect a Spanish port with one of an EU port. Secondly, the service must be run at least twice a week. And thirdly, there must be an alternative road route for maritime transportation.

Currently, the first phase of the scheme is running during which the Ministry of Transport is reaching out to shipping companies that can and are willing to participate in the program. 60 million euros can be allocated to hauliers, shippers, and other logistics operators who change their international road freight to maritime transportation, explains the Fenadismer. This phase is in force until March 31, 2023

The scheme is part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Program (PRTR) and is subsidized with NextGenerationEU funds.

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