Resolution of 22 May 2023 of the Directorate General for Land Transport – Systems and Requirements to Be Met by Electronic Administrative Control Documents in Road Transport
In this article we would like to highlight the content of the Resolution of 22 May 2023, issued by the Directorate General for Land Transport, which establishes the requirements and systems that must be met by administrative control documents in electronic format for road transport in Spain, derived from Article 222.2 of the Regulation of the Land Transport Law. Article which, in accordance with Royal Decree 1211/1990, of 28 September, and its subsequent modifications, establishes the essential characteristics that the supports and computer applications used for the completion and management of this transport documentation must have.
Previously, in order to ensure that control documentation in electronic format meets the characteristics of availability, integrity, inalterability and inviolability of its content, as well as to determine the way in which copies of this control documentation must be obtained by the personnel of the Inspection Services and the agents of the transport surveillance forces when they are issued using electronic means, the Directorate General issued the Resolution of 13 February 2020, which established the characteristics that the administrative control documents in electronic format required in road transport must meet, which has now been repealed.
Thus, having established a new method of communication of the data collected in the various control documents, it was considered necessary to extend the new methods of communication to facilitate the activity of the hauliers themselves, reducing the administrative burden for drivers and companies.
The main requirements highlighted in the Resolution of 22 May 2023 include:
a) Characteristics of Computer Supports and Applications:
- Accessibility for all eligible parties.
- Ensuring secure storage and effective transmission of documents.
- Specific requirements for electronic signatures: ensuring their binding to the signatory, identification, exclusive control and detection of modifications.
b) Systems and Requirements for Control by Inspection Services:
- Implementation of two modalities: via numerical code with subsequent electronic delivery, or via QR code leading to a PDF repository.
- Technical standards such as PDF/A format and size limitations (up to 4 MB).
- Prior obligation to communicate the domain of storage and exclusive use of HTTPS connections by companies.
In any case, we must emphasise that the main objective of this regulation is to optimise the administrative management of road transport, ensuring the integrity, inalterability, inviolability of its content and availability of the required documentation.
The explicit repeal of the previous Resolution of 13 February 2020 only underlines the continuous updating and adaptation of sectoral regulations to technological developments and the operational needs of land transport. This sector is continuously evolving in order to facilitate trade between countries when it requires an agile and efficient means of transport, such as land transport.
