A new industry initiative is injecting fresh momentum into the uptake of eCMR, the UN digital consignment note standard, targeting interoperability across vendors, users and countries.
IRU and industry partners have launched a new technical expert group to advance logistics sector uptake of eCMR, the digital protocol to the UN’s CMR Convention that governs legal and commercial standards in road freight.
The expert group, led by global road transport organisation IRU, includes eCMR solution vendors FIELDEAS, Pionira and TransFollow; digital security and services firm IN Groupe; and FIATA, the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations.
Given the high degree of fragmentation between existing offerings, the group’s primary focus is to improve interoperability among eCMR solutions, helping transport operators, shippers, freight forwarders and authorities seamlessly exchange information.
The group will develop a new, open, scalable and global interoperable B2B industry standard approach, fully compliant with the CMR Convention, the eCMR protocol, and UN functional specifications for operationalising eCMR. Live testing will begin later this year with real users. The group aims to expand to other solution vendors to further strengthen the standard as it is rolled out.
IRU Senior Director for Strategy and Development Vincent Erard said, “Logistics needs practical and interoperable digital solutions that work across systems and borders. This expert group is an important step towards making eCMR simpler, more scalable and easier to implement.”
FIELDEAS CEO Óscar López said, “Transport digitisation is a must. But this transformation also requires collaboration between platforms to streamline operations for all stakeholders. Interoperability is essential to ensure the flow of information throughout the supply chain, and FIELDEAS, as a key player in this process, is committed to it with a strong sense of responsibility and purpose.”
Pionira Managing Director Barry Van Leuven said, “This initiative is an important step towards making eCMR more scalable to our customers. Its focus on interoperability, a circle of trusted eCMR providers and standardised process will help accelerate adoption by making it easier for both existing and new providers to integrate with the standard.”
TransFollow Managing Director Alexis Perinet-Marquet said, “Interoperability is the foundation of truly digital transport. As a long standing leader in eCMR, TransFollow’s participation in the IRU expert group reinforces our commitment to shaping open, scalable digital standards that enable smarter collaboration, greater efficiency and a future proof logistics ecosystem.”
FIATA Director General Dr Stéphane Graber said, “Competitiveness today depends on trusted, interoperable data. Freight forwarders are central to the seamless flow of goods across borders, coordinating documentation and compliance across every link in the supply chain. This initiative is an important step towards a unified eCMR approach that works for operators on the ground.”
CMR is the world’s most widely used road transport document, with around 280 million international CMR transactions taking place every year. It provides legal certainty, standardises documentation, and protects both operators and consignors.
eCMR builds on these advantages, significantly reducing administrative burdens and paper use. It speeds up invoicing, increases transparency and visibility, and supports compliance with eFTI, the EU’s new digital freight framework.