Spanish fruit and vegetable exports have been increasing in recent years, and, as a result, road freight companies have also seen an increase in their activity. However, in a highly competitive sector, there's a clear trend towards consolidation. A few months ago, Logista acquired El Mosca, and for now, prospects are optimistic, despite rising costs and the shortage of drivers.
"We currently handle a very high volume of exports from Spain, as well as cross-country flows from regions such as Benelux and Greece. We have a large fleet and a good range of services, so we can reach any destination in Europe, although we have the most expertise in markets such as Germany, Benelux, and the Eastern countries," says Álvaro González-Escalada, Managing Director of Logista Freight.
© Lydia González
With regard to the lack of drivers, González-Escalada says that "according to IRU data, there is currently a shortage of around 500,000 professional drivers in Europe; a figure that continues to increase year after year and which is raising concerns in the sector. This shortage has led to an unsustainable increase in costs, resulting in many cases in stoppages with a high impact on the supply chain."
That said, the Logista Freight manager stresses that, over the last few years, they have been working "on several initiatives to try to alleviate this problem. Some of these solutions focus on improving the professional conditions of drivers, not only in financial terms, but also in terms of infrastructures, safety, better route planning and service allocation, strict compliance with rest times, etc. With this, we seek to strengthen our operational capacity and to continue offering a reliable service to our customers."
© Logista
Regarding new, more sustainable fuels such as green hydrogen, González-Escalada says: "At Logista Freight, we are making steady progress in our commitment to reduce carbon emissions, which has led us to explore all alternatives on the market, including green hydrogen."
Fortunately, according to the executive, in Spain there are "various projects backed by public and private investment, as well as scientific advances that seek to make production more sustainable and affordable. However, we believe that there are still significant challenges, especially in terms of production costs and lack of infrastructure, which are putting limits on scalability in the short and medium term. We will be following those developments very closely."
In the meantime, he says that they continue working on the development of other sustainable solutions, such as the "HVO Plan, the use of electric trucks, the incorporation of duotrailers and the design of intermodal services by train and ship," which is allowing them to offer their customers "a full range of responsible and efficient options."
As for the most important challenges for the 2025/26 season and for the coming years, González-Escalada says that one of them "will be the possible impact on vegetable production of the high temperatures recorded in July and August. This situation could significantly affect the volumes of the autumn harvest, so it will be essential to monitor it closely."
Also, "the shortage of drivers remains the main structural problem for the sector, with direct consequences on the supply chain throughout Europe. Despite ongoing efforts, it is a complex situation, with multiple causes and no clear solutions in the short term," says the executive.
For more information:
Logista
Tel.: +34 91 481 98 00
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www.logista.es
