About CMR convention

Commonly referred to as the Bible for road Cargo Transport, the CMR convention is a unique document that is mostly used to regulate cargo transport as well as to outline the rights and duties of parties involved in international cargo transport. Every truck driver and person, who’s been involved with cargo transport, must be familiar with what the CMR is. The main aim of this document is to be able to deduce and recognize whoever’s at fault if the cargo is damaged. But, what else should you know about the Bible for Cargo Transport – CMR convention?

The history of the CMR convention

The original text document was signed all the way back in the mid-1950s’ – 1956, to be exact. The post-war European continent governments wanted to regulate and simplify international transport of goods. It also wanted to eliminate fraud and malpractices by transporting companies, in favor of protecting the rights of shippers, customers, etc. Without the convention in power, disputes were almost impossible to solve.

The CMR document is only required for international cargo transport when at least one of the countries (origin or destination) are covered by the CMR convention. As of now, there are more than 50 countries, which have joined this group. Most of them are in Europe (with the exception of a few microstates) and Asia with a few others in Africa and South America. Keep in mind that this convention is like an additional safety measure since cargo transport responsibilities and rights related to the matter are usually outlined by the laws and local regulations of each country.

What is the importance of the CMR convention for the transport industry?

Since the CMR text or PDF document must contain all of the relevant information about the carrier, recipient, and cargo in question, it’s always the main point of reference for traffic inspectors, legal officers, in case of disputes, etc.

Every road cargo gets a unique CMR contract. Each contract gets three identical copies. One for the sender, one for the recipient, and the last one is kept by the carriage company. Relevant information (e.g. company info, cargo weight, dimensions, volumes, etc.) are all listed in the CMR note. This can be done in text or digitally.

Nowadays, more and more businesses are shying away from all of the paperwork and relying on pdf and other digital formats for their CMR data storage. It’s much easier to keep track of your data this way. Plus – it’s quicker to generate necessary reports or print out documents on the go.

The summary

So, the CMR convention is a document that regulates the legal obligations between parties involved in international cargo transport by road in the countries that belong to this convention. It makes handling disputes a lot easier and also, helps eliminate fraud and malpractices from the sector.

In case of misinformation appearing on the CMR, it’s usually the sender who is held responsible. According to the convention, it’s their obligation to provide all correct and necessary information which the cargo company shouldn’t have to double-check.