Spain Road Freight Transport Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Spain Road Freight Transport Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Road Freight Transport Market in Spain is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 1.5% during the forecast period (2020 - 2025). Spanish road freight sector has transported 1,542.5 million tons in 2019, 4.5% more than the figure registered in 2018. Regarding intermodal transport, more than 80 million tons of goods were transported in containers in 2018 on roads.

Public transport (carried out by third-party transport companies), registered a little more than 1,326.2 million tons in 2019 and has increased by 4.5% compared to 2018. The segment with the greatest increase in this type of transport has been the inter-municipal / intra-regional, which has increased by 5.6%, followed by international transport with 3.8%, the inter-regional with 3.5% and finally the intra-municipal, which has grown by 2.8%.

Catalonia is the key autonomous community for the road freight transport market. Andalusia has recovered the second position and continues on the path of approaching the figures for Catalonia thanks to the 9.7% growth it has registered in 2019, which has allowed it to exceed 256.8 million tons. In third place, the Valencian Community is located with a decrease of 0.3% and just over 249.9 million tons.

According to industry sources, the European road freight market is anticipated to shrink by almost 20% in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The impact largely depends on how long lockdowns continue and their effect on demand. The apparel and footwear sector in Spain has seen demand drop by more than half, while supply of these products has been hit by sourcing issues in Asia.

The kilometres travelled in empty conditions have increased by around 30% where it was 50% in some cases. This increase in inefficiency is especially notable in raw materials and the distribution of vehicles and household appliances, compared to the resilience of food and hygiene products. The companies located in Álava, Barcelona, ​​Jaén, Madrid, Pontevedra and Zaragoza are the ones have suffered the most from the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in terms of reduced activity.

Key Market TrendsGrowth in E-commerce driving the road freight transport market

According to industry sources, Logistics and road transport companies have experienced 50% growth in shipments from e-commerce during the pandemic. There are sectors such as clothing, construction and books that have seen their sales through the Internet dramatically reduced, but others such as sports equipment have quadrupled. However, the logistics employers have highlighted that the closure of shops and restaurants during the state of alarm has generated a 50% reduction in the activity of logistics and transport operators and the Increased activity in the area of ​​the last mile does not compensate for this drop in logistics operations.

As per March 2020 sources, Since the start of the state of alarm, the logistics sector has registered a 15% increase in operations related to e-commerce related to food products, first necessity and pharmacy, while it has experienced a significant decrease in those related to commercial activities affected by the coronavirus crisis.

The logistics operator DSV launched a new package of e-commerce services that combines standardized storage processes, automation concepts, IT integration and the implementation of services without stock breaks. In Spain, this service has been launched in company centers in Madrid and Barcelona. Most of the clients tend to select one of these two locations to distribute throughout Spain and even Portugal. The service includes a processing model, automation modules and operational optimization algorithms that are included in the warehouse management system and the distribution management platform for last mile shipments.

Operator Alfil Logistics had already started developing solutions focused on the last mile before the outbreak of the health emergency. However, the new normality generated by the coronavirus has accelerated the implementation of these services, which are carried through Alfil Express and are already offered in Spain and Portugal. The specialization in last mile distribution was born out of the real need of the clients in online sales and home delivery.

International Road Freight Transport to witness higher growth through the forecast period

Spain has signed 17 bilateral Agreements on International Road Transport with third countries that are not members of the EU, which enable the Spanish carrier to carry out international transport to or from such countries or in transit through their territory. The 17 countries include Albania, Andorra, Algeria, Belarus, Bosnia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Tunez, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Over the past decade, the Spanish road freight transport sector has become less and less competitive in the international segment, in the face of its eastern European rivals. Regarding international transport, a little more than 86.6 million tons have been reached in 2019, which has meant an increase of 4.4% compared to the data recorded in 2018.

The companies associated with ASTIC, the Association of International Road Transport, have faced an additional financial effort to the usual expenses of their activity, which is intended to sanitize their heavy vehicles against the coronavirus.

Competitive Landscape

The road freight market of Spain is dominated by a large number of international and domestic players making the market highly competitive and fragmented. According to Spain Ministry of Transport, there are more than 101,400 companies in road freight transport sector with more than 353,700 vehicles.

One of the main drivers of the market growth is the e-commerce penetration in the country demanding the companies to not only be fast with the deliveries but also accessible to them.

After the technical advancement that the train and airplanes have gone through, the road transport modes like trucks, tauliners and vans are undergoing immense changes in terms of technology. Along with the e-retail, the global drive of carbon free operations and lack of drivers, is leading the big companies to develop and integrate their fleet with automatic machines and vehicles that have minimum carbon foot print.

The leading international companies like XPO, Kuehne Nagel and DHL are also focusing on reducing the CO2 emissions by minimising the travel durations of the delivery vehicles, establishing warehouses in the areas near to the consumer hubs.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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Companies Mentioned
 
Seur Geopost SL
Primafrio SL
Trans Sese SL
Compañía Logística Acotral SA
Truck & Wheel
GENERAL LOGISTICS SYSTEMS SPAIN SA
Carreras Grupo Logístico SA
STEF IBERIA SAU
Marcotran Transportes Internacionales SL
Transportes Directos Nacionales e Internacionales, SA
Transportes Agustin Fuentes E Hijos SL
SALVESEN LOGISTICA SA
Transportes Boyaca SL
LUIS SIMOES LOGISTICA INTEGRADA SA
Transgesa
XPO TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS SPAIN SL.
DHL
RHENUS LOGISTICS, SA
DACHSER SPAIN SA.*

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