What is a CMR consignment note?

CMR in brief

“CMR” stands for the French Convention relative au contrat de transport international de Marchandises par Route — the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. It was adopted in Geneva in 1956 under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and more than 50 countries are now parties to it.

The Convention sets uniform rules for the rights and duties of the sender, the carrier and the consignee, for the carrier’s liability and for the limits of compensation. The CMR consignment note is the transport document issued for every carriage governed by these rules. Unless the contrary is proved, it is evidence of the contract, its conditions and the carrier’s receipt of the goods (Art. 9).

When is a CMR required?

The CMR Convention applies to every contract for the carriage of goods by road for reward where the place of taking over and the place of delivery are in two different countries, at least one of which is a contracting country. The nationality and residence of the parties do not matter.

• An export load trucked from Turkey to Germany → CMR applies.
• If the loaded vehicle travels part of the way by sea or rail without the goods being unloaded (ro-ro, rail), the Convention in principle still governs the whole carriage (Art. 2).
• Postal carriage, funeral consignments and furniture removals are excluded (Art. 1(4)).
• Carriage that takes place entirely within one country is not subject to CMR; national law applies.

The parties and their signatures

• Sender (consignor): concludes the contract and hands the goods to the carrier. Responsible for the accuracy of the particulars it provides and liable for the carrier’s loss caused by inaccurate or incomplete particulars (Art. 7).
• Carrier: takes over the goods and delivers them. On taking over, it checks the number of packages, their marks and numbers and the apparent condition of the goods, and enters any reservations on the note (Art. 8).
• Consignee: receives the goods at destination, together with the second copy of the note, and signs for them.
• Successive carriers: where several carriers perform the carriage in turn, each becomes a party to the contract by accepting the goods and the note (Art. 34).

The Convention does not strictly say who must fill in the note; in practice the carrier, a freight forwarder or the sender prepares it. What matters is that the particulars are correct and that the sender and carrier sign the copies. For a box-by-box walkthrough see how to fill in a CMR.

How many copies?

Under the Convention the note is made out in at least three original copies, signed by the sender and by the carrier (Art. 5):

1. The first copy is kept by the sender.
2. The second copy travels with the goods and is handed to the consignee.
3. The third copy is retained by the carrier.

The widely used IRU 2007 model is printed in four colours: red for the sender, blue for the consignee (travels with the goods), green for the carrier and black for administrative procedures. All copies must be filled in identically.

What must a CMR contain?

Article 6 of the Convention lists the particulars the note must contain:

• The date and place at which the note is made out
• The names and addresses of the sender, the carrier and the consignee
• The place and date of taking over the goods and the place designated for delivery
• The description of the goods and the method of packing; for dangerous goods, their generally recognised description
• The number of packages and their special marks and numbers
• The gross weight of the goods or their quantity otherwise expressed
• Charges relating to the carriage (carriage charges, supplementary charges, customs duties, etc.)
• The instructions required for customs and other formalities
• A statement that the carriage is subject, notwithstanding any clause to the contrary, to the provisions of the Convention

Where applicable, the note also states a ban on transhipment, the charges the sender undertakes to pay, the amount of any cash on delivery, the declared value of the goods, insurance instructions, the agreed transit time and the list of documents handed to the carrier (Art. 6(2)). The standard form has a box for each of these.

Carrier liability and compensation limits

The carrier is liable for total or partial loss, damage and delay occurring between taking over the goods and delivering them (Art. 17). It is relieved of liability in the cases listed in the Convention, such as the claimant’s wrongful act, inherent vice of the goods or circumstances it could not avoid.

• For loss and damage, compensation may not exceed 8.33 SDR (IMF Special Drawing Rights) per kilogram of gross weight short (Art. 23).
• For delay, compensation may not exceed the carriage charges (Art. 23(5)).
• Against an agreed surcharge, the sender may declare a value of the goods (Art. 24) or a special interest in delivery (Art. 26) in the note, raising the limit accordingly. Such declarations go into the “special agreements” box.

Reservations at delivery and time limits

• Apparent loss or damage: the consignee must send reservations to the carrier at the time of delivery.
• Loss or damage not apparent: written reservations must be sent within 7 days of delivery (Sundays and public holidays excepted).
• Delay: no compensation is payable unless a written reservation is sent within 21 days from the time the goods were placed at the consignee’s disposal (Art. 30).
• Time bar: actions arising out of CMR carriage must be brought within 1 year, or 3 years for wilful misconduct or equivalent default (Art. 32).

The electronic CMR (e-CMR)

The e-CMR Additional Protocol, adopted in 2008 and in force since 2011, provides the legal basis for issuing the consignment note electronically. See what is e-CMR? for details.

Preparing a CMR online

With CMRyaz you fill in the CMR in your browser, preview it exactly as it will print, download it as a PDF in 8 languages and share it by QR code. Senders, consignees and vehicles are saved, so the next note takes seconds. Create a free CMR.