More than half of shippers already manage wait times and dock assignments.

 

The studio "Dock Management in Spain Three Years After Royal Decree-Law 3/2022: Degree of Digitalization and Outlook for Shippers and Carriers", presented by the CEL and FIELDEAS in Madrid, offers an x-ray of the evolution of the management of the supply chain.

 

Advances in the digitalization of shippers, a challenge in transportation

 

One of the most significant data, exposed by Ramon Garcia, general director of CEL, and Lola Hurtado, Marketing Director of FIELDEAS, is that the 51,16% of the loading companies has adopted solutions to manage waiting times and dock allocation. Of this percentage, 34,88% have opted for third-party software, Whereas the 16,28% have developed their own system.

 

However, digitalization still has a way to go, since the 48,84 % of the shippers continues to manage the docks manually.

 

On the side of the carriers, the main obstacle is the technological fragmentationThe data indicate that almost 30% use more than 10 different platforms, which translates into a complication for standardization and a administrative overload considerable.

 

Barriers and future: Interoperability as the key

 

The report details the main barriers to the digitalization of dock management. lack of integration and resistance to change are the most prominent brakes. The 30,23% of chargers points to integration as the biggest impediment, while the 27,91 % points to resistance to change. For transport companies, the use of multiple non-unified platforms (30,61%) and resistance to change on the part of drivers (26,53%) are the predominant problems.

 

Despite these challenges, there is a clear consensus on the need to view dock digitalization as a key lever for the future. Professionals advocate for interoperable, simple, and utility-focused solutions.

 

About this, Lola Hurtado, Marketing Director of FIELDEAS, said: “The consensus among shippers and carriers reveals the strategic need for a cross-functional, scalable, and interoperable technological solution that guarantees real-time visibility throughout the logistics chain. This demand is not limited to technical sophistication but emphasizes the importance of a live, flexible, and simple tool capable of dynamically adapting to operational changes." On the other hand, Oscar Lopez, CEO of FIELDEAS, added that “There's a vision problem when it comes to digitization. A dock management tool must integrate all stakeholders and, moreover, ensure that they all benefit. This is the only way to add value and visibility.".

 

Nearly 30% of carriers use more than 10 different platforms, which complicates standardization and creates administrative overhead.

 

The cultural impact of RDL 3/2022 and the waits

 

As to Real Decreto-Ley 3 / 2022, the main conclusion is that it has not generated a structural change, but it has driven a cultural transformation. The regulations have led to greater professionalization and has improved the Labor conditions, in addition to raising awareness of the need for collaboration, traceability and digitalization.

 

However, the timeouts remain a point of contention. Despite the legal limit of one hour, the 69,23% of carriers and the 53,50% of chargers indicate that their waiting times exceed the legally stipulated hour.

 

Furthermore, most of the chargers (69,77%) consider that the maximum waiting time of one hour is insufficient and unrealisticAlthough carriers are more divided (51,28% see it as sufficient, compared to 48,72% who do not), there is general agreement on the need for a clearer, more practical and flexible regulations.

 

Ramon Garcia, director general of CEL, said: “Regulation has brought order, but more remains to be done. We need to focus on the how rather than the what, with the goal of generating standards that will drive the digitalization of dock management.".

 

La Director General of Road and Rail Transport of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Elena Mª Atance, closed the event by highlighting the importance of the study: “This study is the perfect example that when shippers and carriers collaborate, realistic conclusions can be drawn. In the public sector, we continue working on various measures to promote the digitalization of the sector, a fundamental pillar for the sector's competitiveness.".

 

The event was complemented by the round table “One dock, two realities, one solution: digitalization”, in which Óscar López (FIELDEAS), Mónica Viloria (Ercros), Javier Torres (Galletas Gullón) and Alberto Blanco (Carreras Logistics Group) participated.