New technical requirements for CAP training centers 2026: what you must do now

Key data

CAP training centers have a new operational obligation in force since 29 October 2026: to accurately record student attendance and report it electronically to the Ministry. The Resolution of 23 October 2026 from the General Directorate of Road and Rail Transport specifies the technical requirements that these systems must meet, with no adaptation period: the regulation is enforceable from the day of its publication.

The objective is clear: to ensure that CAP training is actually delivered and that there is verifiable traceability of attendance for each driver in training. Any center that cannot demonstrate this control during an inspection is exposed to administrative consequences.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution defines in detail what the system must record, in what format the data must be sent, and for how long it must be retained. The key points are:

The regulation allows centers that still use paper signature sheets to continue doing so, but with one condition: the information must be digitized and converted to the required .txt format before submission. It is not an exemption, but an alternative compliance route with the same final result.

Economic and operational impact

The regulation does not establish direct fees or financial amounts, but it does generate real operational costs for affected centers:

• Technological adaptation: Centers that do not have attendance management software will need to acquire or develop a solution compatible with the required .txt format and integration with the Ministry's electronic headquarters.
• Daily processes: Submission on the next business day requires establishing a recurring operational process—it is not a one-time procedure, but a continuous obligation for each training session.
• Document management: Retaining records for two years requires an accessible filing system (digital or physical) for inspection, which may involve storage and organization costs.
• Sanction risk: Non-compliance may result in administrative sanctions in transport matters. The regulation does not quantify penalty amounts, but violations in this area are classified under the Land Transport Regulation Act.

For centers that already have computer-based access control systems, the impact is reduced to verifying that the export format is compatible with the required .txt and configuring automatic submission to the Ministry's electronic headquarters.

Who does it affect?

• Authorized CAP training centers for training drivers of certain vehicles intended for road transport.
• Administration and technology managers of these centers, who must adapt or implement the attendance control system.
• Directors and owners of CAP centers, who are administratively responsible during an inspection.
• Centers offering training in any modality: in-person classroom, virtual (online), or practical on-vehicle training.

It does not affect other training centers not linked to CAP qualification or training for non-professional drivers.

Practical example

A CAP center offering in-person classroom and on-vehicle practical training holds a 4-hour theoretical session on Monday with 12 students and, the same day, two practical shifts in vehicles with 3 students each.

The next day—Tuesday, a business day—the center must have generated and sent to the Ministry's electronic headquarters a .txt file with the entry and exit record of each of the 18 students (12 from classroom + 6 from vehicle), indicating the exact time of each training period.

If the center's software experiences a technical failure on Tuesday and cannot generate the file, it has 48 additional hours to submit it, provided it justifies the incident. That record must be retained in the center's system for at least two years and be available if the General Directorate conducts an inspection.

A center that still uses paper signature sheets must also digitize that information in the required .txt format before proceeding with submission: it cannot send scanned paper or a file in another format.

What should companies do now?

1. Audit the current attendance control system: Verify whether existing software can export data in .txt format with the specific structure required by the General Directorate. If not, this is an immediate compliance gap.
2. Cover the three training modalities: Confirm that the system records attendance not only in in-person classroom, but also in virtual classroom and on-vehicle practical training.
3. Establish the daily submission process: Define who is responsible for generating and sending the .txt file to the Ministry's electronic headquarters on the next business day following each session. Document the procedure.
4. Prepare the incident protocol: Define how a technical incident is documented and justified to be able to use the 48-hour margin without sanction risk.
5. Organize the record archive: Ensure that all attendance records are retained for a minimum of two years and are recoverable for an inspection.
6. If paper sheets are used: Establish the digitization workflow to .txt format before submission. Paper is not valid as a submission medium to the Ministry.

Official source

Consult complete regulation at official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-22676