The CMR consignment note is a contractual agreement between the sender, road carrier and consignee providing standard conditions of carriage for international road transport operations – especially in the fields of required documents and carriers’ liability – in order to facilitate road transport and international trade. Using a CMR consignment note implies that at least one of the countries involved in the international transport operation (country of departure or destination) is a contracting party to the CMR Convention.
The CMR Convention does not foresee a specific format for the consignment note. In order to harmonise and simplify international road transport, in 1976 the IRU CAJ, in cooperation with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), developed a model CMR consignment note (PDF format) now used by most, if not all parties to contracts of carriage in CMR contracting countries.
Aware of the developments in practice and drawing on 30 years of experience with this initial model consignment note, the CAJ is currently drafting a new model consignment note. The CAJ also carefully monitors developments brought about by the Information Age and is actively involved in discussions to legalise an electronic CMR consignment note (PDF Format).
According to the CMR Convention carriers must, among other duties, check the apparent condition of the goods and their packaging. Any related remarks (reservations) by the carrier must be recorded in the CMR consignment note. So as to facilitate carriers’ work, the IRU CAJ has drawn up standard reservations in the form of a “CMR Checklist”.
The CMR Convention does not cover all legal issues arising from contracts of carriage by road. So as to fill the Convention’s gaps in this field, the CAJ has developed General Conditions of Carriage whose provisions settle in a uniform way any legal issues which may arise e.g. upon concluding a contract of carriage, accepting or delivering the goods, packing, handling, loading, securing and unloading operations, subcontracting, carriers’ remuneration and insurance related considerations.
