A roundtable where different professionals from the sector were able to share their views on road freight transport.
On April 14, 2026, we attended the facilities of Banc Sabadell to take part in the first talk of the Sabadell Hub Empresa seminar and content series, a set of meetings in which challenges and opportunities in key sectors are analyzed, such as freight transport, automotive, and hospitality. On this occasion, the speakers included José Miguel Irigoyen, delegate in Catalonia of the Spanish Association of Transport (AET), Lluís Batlle, corporate director of the Calsina Carré Group, Joan Lluís Rubio, marketing and sustainability director at Ader Supergroup, and Marta Losada, director of the Cluster Catalonia Logistics.
At the roundtable, moderated by Raúl Catalán, Sector Director of Corporate Risk at Banc Sabadell, participants highlighted the profound transformation currently underway in road freight transport companies, underlining the essential role this mode of transport plays in the day-to-day economy.
First, the Marketing and Sustainability Director at Ader Supergroup emphasized the need for transport companies to evolve, noting that in the future their survival will depend largely on the level of integration they achieve with their clients.
Next, the Director of the Cluster Catalonia Logistics stressed the importance of SMEs adopting a strategy focused on added value through specialization. In a sector historically driven by price competition, she highlighted the need to start differentiating through service quality instead.
On another note, the Corporate Director, Lluís Batlle, underlined the urgency of dignifying the profession. He explained that, for companies to successfully adapt to ongoing changes, they must first improve working conditions for drivers. He also pointed out that the current shortage is so severe that bargaining power has effectively shifted. In this context, the AET delegate in Catalonia discussed possible solutions, such as promoting a more productive approach to work, noting that longer working hours do not necessarily translate into greater efficiency for companies.
Finally, Joan Lluís Rubio noted that in recent years the transport and logistics sector has been affected by so many external factors that its volatility can no longer be considered occasional, but structural. He therefore stressed the importance of rethinking the sector and highlighted how technology and digitalization could help reduce this inherent volatility.
The event at Sabadell Hub Empresa confirms that the future of transport in Spain will not be defined by who has the largest fleet of trucks, but by who can best integrate digitally with clients and provide a dignified working environment that attracts talent. Volatility is now structural, and the response must lie in specialization and added value, moving away from price-based competition and towards becoming a key pillar of resilience for the daily economy.
Watch the full event video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEq6vizcciU
Comments