Road freight transport glossary

Short definitions of the terms that come up most when managing a fleet in Spain. Updated on 2 November 2026.

TMS

Transport management system. It is the software a company uses to plan trips, assign vehicles and drivers, control documents and record deliveries. Fleetaria is a TMS designed for owner-drivers and small companies with 1 to 20 vehicles.

Control document

Document that must accompany every public road freight transport in Spain and that records data on the shipper, the carrier, the consignee, the goods and the loading and unloading. It is governed by Order FOM/2861/2012 and may be carried on paper or in electronic format.

Consignment note

Document that formalizes the contract for the carriage of goods by road and which, in Spain, is governed by Law 15/2009. In international road transport the consignment note is the CMR.

CMR

International road consignment note, governed by the CMR Convention of 1956. It proves the transport contract between countries party to the convention and is usually issued in three copies.

eCMR

Electronic version of the CMR consignment note, provided for in an additional protocol to the CMR Convention. It allows signing and sharing it without paper.

ADR

European agreement on the international carriage of dangerous goods by road. In Spain it also applies to domestic transport. It requires, among other things, approved vehicles, specific driver training (ADR card) and documentation with the UN number and the class of the goods.

UN number

Four-digit code that identifies a dangerous substance or group of substances in transport. It must appear in the documentation and on the marking of the vehicle and the packages.

CAP

Certificate of Professional Competence (Certificado de Aptitud Profesional). Mandatory initial qualification and continuing training for professional truck and bus drivers, with an expiry date and periodic renewal.

CCP

Certificate of Professional Competence of the transport manager (Certificado de Competencia Profesional). It proves that a company's transport manager has the qualification required to run the transport business.

MDP

Authorization for public discretionary road freight transport with heavy vehicles (more than 3.5 tonnes of maximum authorized mass). It involves requirements of good repute, financial capacity and professional competence.

MDL

Authorization for public discretionary road freight transport with light vehicles, up to 3.5 tonnes of maximum authorized mass.

Financial capacity

Requirement of minimum financial resources that a company with an authorization for heavy vehicles must prove. Regulation (EC) 1071/2009 sets 9,000 euros for the first vehicle and 5,000 euros for each additional vehicle.

Tachograph

Device installed in the vehicle that records the driver's driving, breaks and rest periods. It may be analogue or digital. It is governed by Regulation (EU) 165/2014.

Driver card

Personal chip card that the driver inserts into the digital tachograph so that their activity is recorded. Its data must be downloaded at least every 28 days.

Driving and rest times

Limits on daily, weekly and fortnightly driving, and on breaks and rest periods, set by Regulation (EC) 561/2006 for road safety and fair competition.

PWA

Progressive web app. It opens from the browser, can be added to the phone's home screen and works offline. The Fleetaria driver app is a PWA.

POD

Proof of delivery. Evidence that the goods reached the consignee: normally a signed delivery note and a photo of the delivery.

Delivery note

Document that accompanies the goods and details what was delivered. Once signed by the receiver it serves as proof of delivery.

ITV

Vehicle technical inspection (Inspección Técnica de Vehículos). Mandatory periodic check whose frequency depends on the type of vehicle and its age; its expiry is part of the documentation checked at the roadside.

Cabotage

Domestic carriage of goods carried out temporarily in one country by a carrier established in another country. It is subject to limits set by European regulations.