The Ministry's free tool, or DeCA2U.

What the Ministry offers

The Ministry issues the DeCA from two places, and both are free.

The SIMPLE platform. It is the transport digitalisation platform of the Ministry, Puertos del Estado and ADIF. One of its functions is generating the DeCA.

The DeCA module. It is a separate web application with its own users. A company registers itself and needs no digital certificate.

Using it is optional. Every company may issue with the application it prefers, as long as it meets the Resolution.

How a DeCA is issued

According to the Ministry's own manual, each DeCA is created in three forms, one after the other:

1. The shipment: origin, destination, goods and the parties.
2. The transport order: the shipper, the goods and the equipment.
3. The planning: the plate and the carrier who makes the trip.

Each form has four tabs. At the end, the platform generates the PDF with its QR code, and it can be downloaded.

The manual warns of a frequent error: if the equipment block of the transport order is not ticked, the DeCA comes out without origin or destination.

When it is enough

The Ministry's tool fits if these conditions hold:

• You issue few documents a month.
• Somebody can type each DeCA in an office, with time.
• You do not need your system to issue the DeCA by itself.

In that case, there is no need to pay for another tool.

Where it falls short

With volume and several sites, limits appear that the tool does not solve:

• Everything is typed. It does not read the delivery note you already print. Each consignment is three forms.
• It does not connect to your system. The DeCA module publishes no API to issue from your ERP.
• It does not document how to issue offline. A weighbridge or a quarry with no signal depends on the network.
• It does not publish how long the PDF is kept or when the QR address closes.

DeCA2U is built for those cases. It reads the delivery note you already print, issues offline, connects to your system by API and applies both deadlines of the rules: it closes public access after seven days and destroys the file after twelve months.

What to ask

Before deciding, with this tool or any other, it is worth having an answer to these questions:

• How many consignments a month do I have to document, and who types them?
• What happens at a site with no signal?
• How long does the PDF stay available, and who deletes it?
• How does the DeCA reach the driver before they leave?

How much time goes on typing

Measure at your site how long one person takes to type a DeCA. With that figure and your volume, the sum does itself.

If the figure is high, tell us about your operation and we will show you how to issue without typing.