Government measures aimed at reducing payment times for road haulage services appear to be bearing fruit: in August 2025, the average period fell below the sixty-day threshold for the first time. This is highlighted by figures from the Permanent Observatory on late payments and payment practices in the road transport sector, compiled by the hauliers’ association Fenadismer together with the Fundación Quijote para el Transporte, which reported an average of 58 days for the month.
The analysis points to a positive trend that began in early 2025 and has been consolidating month by month. Yet the problem is far from solved. In August, almost half of clients and intermediaries (49 per cent) still failed to comply with legislation against late payments. In most cases (81 per cent), delays were contained between 60 and 90 days, but 7 per cent of operators continued to pay on terms exceeding 120 days. This figure is nonetheless lower than in 2022, when more than one in five companies paid that late.
The good news for Spanish hauliers ends there. On 16 September, the Ministry of Transport released its updated Observatories on costs, rates and activity in the road freight sector for the second quarter of 2025. The figures show a modest rise in operating costs, partly offset by an increase in the revenues received by hauliers. However, they also reveal a fresh slowdown in activity, affecting both domestic and international flows.
As of 31 July 2025, operating costs in road haulage recorded a slight increase, driven above all by insurance (+8.8 per cent) and diesel (+1.6 per cent), while financial costs fell by 4.2 per cent. The unit cost per kilometre for an articulated vehicle carrying general cargo stood at €1.30 per km, rising to €1.52 per loaded kilometre. On an annual basis, this represents a 0.4 per cent increase compared with the same quarter of 2024. Fuel accounts for 28.8 per cent of total costs, still below personnel and subsistence costs, which remain the largest item at 33.5 per cent. The annual operating cost of an articulated lorry for general cargo now totals €156,951.13.
Hauliers’ average rates rose by 5.3 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2024, with variations depending on the distance travelled: up 7.3 per cent for trips of up to 100 km, 3.1 per cent between 100 and 200 km, 3 per cent between 200 and 300 km and 3.5 per cent beyond 300 km.
On the activity front, a survey of a sample of one thousand companies revealed an overall decline of 4.9 per cent in tonne-kilometres produced compared with the same quarter of the previous year. The only segment showing growth was intra-regional transport, up 2.4 per cent, while national transport fell by 7.8 per cent and international operations by 8.2 per cent, in line with the downturn observed in previous quarters. In terms of tonnes moved, the sector recorded a slight overall increase of 1.5 per cent, again thanks solely to intra-regional transport, which rose by 7.4 per cent. By contrast, both domestic (-6.5 per cent) and international transport (-11 per cent) reported negative figures.
