Key information:
- Spain’s general strike on 11 November 2026 could disrupt freight transport and supply chains.
- Rail freight has been granted a 26% minimum service level. Spain’s Transport Ministry has set higher coverage levels for selected cargo, including fuel, waste and goods linked to the automotive industry.
- Road freight has no equivalent nationwide guarantee. Fenadismer points out that trucks carry more than 90% of Spain’s freight, while rail accounts for around 1%.
- Carriers fear supply disruptions. The federation is calling for essential freight movements to be protected against possible interruptions.
- The extent of the disruption remains unclear. It is not yet known how many drivers will join the strike or how significantly the protest will affect domestic and international road transport.
Spain’s Federation of National Transport Associations (Fenadismer) is accusing the Transport Ministry of applying different standards to freight modes ahead of the nationwide general strike scheduled for 11 November 2026.
In a statement issued on 9 November, the federation said the authorities had protected part of the rail freight network but had not introduced nationwide measures guaranteeing a minimum level of truck transport.
Fenadismer says the decision is particularly difficult to understand because, according to figures cited by the organisation, road haulage accounts for more than 90% of freight transport in Spain, compared with roughly 1% for rail.
Rail freight given a 26% minimum service level
Under a Transport Ministry decision dated 9 November, an average of 26% of scheduled rail freight services will operate during Wednesday’s strike. Higher service levels have been set for selected cargo categories, including shipments linked to the automotive industry, fuel, steelmaking and waste transport.
The ministry says the measures are needed to protect production continuity and prevent supply-chain disruption. It has given particular priority to freight flows whose interruption could affect industrial facilities and the availability of essential services.
Fenadismer does not challenge the need to protect rail freight. However, it stresses that no comparable nationwide guarantees have been introduced for road transport, despite the central role trucks play in supplying Spain’s economy.
Carriers question the ministry’s reasoning
The federation is especially critical of the ministry’s reasoning regarding rail shipments of municipal waste and dangerous goods. These services were classified as socially important. The ministry also argued that replacing rail freight with trucks could cause unacceptable congestion on major roads during the strike.
Fenadismer disputes that logic. In its view, if professional drivers take part in the protest, the number of trucks on the roads could actually fall. The organisation also argues that if the authorities are anticipating blockades or serious traffic disruption, they should take additional steps to protect deliveries of goods essential to households and businesses.
Supply continuity remains uncertain
The situation is also shaped by Spain’s rules on minimum services during strikes. Passenger transport is covered by general provisions set out in Royal Decree 635/1984. On that basis, the ministry has set minimum service levels for bus services, among others. Freight trains have also been given protection. Road freight is treated differently, however, with a separate decision required for each individual strike. Fenadismer says that, less than 48 hours before the protest was due to begin, the ministry had still not issued such a decision, leaving truck transport without nationwide protective measures.
The organisation stresses that trucks make daily deliveries to manufacturing plants, distribution centres, shops and other customers. Any disruption could therefore affect far more than the transport industry itself.
It is not yet known how many drivers and employees of transport companies will join Wednesday’s strike. The lack of nationwide minimum-service rules does not automatically mean that road freight operations will stop.
Fenadismer is nevertheless calling on the authorities to recognise the importance of road haulage to supply continuity and ensure that essential freight movements receive appropriate protection.
For companies arranging transport to or from Spain, 11 November will therefore be a higher-risk day for operational disruption, although the actual scale of the impact remains unknown.
