CMR

What is CMR?

Adopted in 1956, the United Nations Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) establishes uniform and mandatory rules for international road freight contracts.

CMR harmonises the rights and obligations of the sender, carrier and consignee, ensuring legal certainty, transparency and predictability.

It defines, among other things, when and how contracts apply, the role and legal value of the consignment note, the responsibilities of the operator, and the rules on liability and compensation in case of loss, damage or delay.

Until recently, CMR notes were only in paper form. It is now time to go digital.

Going paperless: e-CMR

The CMR Convention now allows the use of fully electronic transport documents, supporting more efficient, secure and sustainable cross-border road freight.

To date, 58 countries are CMR contracting parties – 39 of which have acceded to e-CMR.

Key e-CMR benefits

Lower costs

• Reduces handling costs by three to four times
  Accelerates invoicing and administration with reduced data entry
  Lessens delivery and reception discrepancies

Greater transparency

• Enhances data accuracy
  Enables better control and monitoring of shipments
  Provides real-time access to information and proof of pick-up and delivery

e-CMR can also be easily integrated with other digital services used by transport companies.

Furthermore, by moving to an electronic format, the three parties involved in each shipment benefit from greater overall logistics efficiency, resulting in improved economic competitiveness.

Another benefit is greater road safety. For example, e-CMR can be linked to eCall, a system for trucks that automatically dials emergency services in the event of an accident.