Trident Safety Group

CMR forms (road consignment notes)

· The carrier completes the CMR form if required.

· The exporter is responsible for the CMR form's accuracy.

· The CMR form carries some insurance, but this may not be sufficient and extra insurance may need to be arranged.

The Convention des Marchandises Routiers (CMR), specifying conditions for the international carriage of goods by road, is used for road freight between many European countries. It confirms receipt of the goods by the carrier, in good condition unless specified otherwise.

The following countries are signatories to the CMR:

· Austria

· Finland

· Italy

· Romania

· Belgium

· France

· Luxembourg

· Slovakia

· Bulgaria

· Germany

· Netherlands

· Spain

· CIS

· Gibraltar

· Norway

· Sweden

· Czech Republic

· Greece

· Poland

· Switzerland

· Denmark

· Hungary

· Portugal

· UK

For UK-based exporters, CMR would apply only to goods carried by roll-on roll-off ferry or the Channel Tunnel. It does not apply to goods that cross the international border in a container on a ship.

Completing a CMR form

A CMR form is a 4-part set:

· sender's copy (red)

· consignee's copy (blue)

· carrier's copy (green)

· administration copy (white with black border)

The carrier usually completes the form, but the consignor is responsible for the accuracy of the information and must sign the form when the goods are collected. The consignee will also sign the form on delivery.

There are 20 boxes on a CMR form:

1 Sender's name and address (including country)

2 Sender's and/or agent's reference

4 Consignee's name and address (including country)

5 Carrier's name and address (including country)

6 Place and country of taking over the goods

7 Successive carriers

8 Place of delivery of the goods

9 Shipping marks, number and kind of packages, description of the goods. Note: If you are sending dangerous goods you must indicate the product's official shipping name, ADR class and UN identification number.

10 Gross weight in kilos

11 Volume in cubic meters

12 Carriage charges

13 Sender's instructions

14 Reservations

15 Details of documents attached

16 Special agreements

17 Goods received

18 Signature of carrier

19 Company completing the note

20 Place, date and signature

CMR conditions make the carrier responsible for loss and/or damage of the goods from the time he takes possession of them until they are delivered. Liability is limited to 8.33 "special drawing rights" (SDRs) per kilo. SDR conversion rates are published in the Financial Times. The calculation:

(item 10, i.e. gross weight in kilos) x 8.33 x (SDR rate on date at item 20)

sets the limit of the carrier's liability for the shipment, and warns the exporter to arrange insurance for the balance