The CMR document is issued in road transport to fully establish trust between companies. In order for the CMR, which stands for Convention Marchandise Routière, to be issued as a document, various conditions must be met.
Additionally, depending on international agreements, it is mandatory for the carrier company to carry the document during the period in question. You can find the answers to all the questions you have about the CMR document in our article.
What is a CMR Document?
The CMR document is the document that individuals performing international standard road transport must possess. Thus, the safety of goods in road transport is largely ensured.
Thanks to this document, mutual satisfaction is achieved among exporting companies. This term, used by logistics or shipping managers, is also referred to as a consignment note or waybill.
The best definition for what CMR means is explained as: "A type of agreement signed internationally among European countries regarding road transport."
What does a CMR Document Do?
The CMR document is a type of trust document signed between countries that accept its provisions. In road transport, it is a legal indicator that the loaded goods are transported under appropriate conditions and were in good condition at the time of loading. It is highly important in terms of trade chain regulations.
The CMR consignment note ensures certainty in information such as sender, recipient, person transporting the goods, number of packages shipped, and special instructions. In this way, mutual questions between import and export companies are eliminated.
How is a CMR Document Prepared?
The CMR document does not have a specific template. Companies must create their own CMR documents. Although each company prepares its own template, there is certain clear information that must be included in the document. The following points should be registered when preparing a CMR document:
• The most important aspect when writing the CMR document is that the address and contact information of the importer and exporter companies must be complete. The carrier company cannot be held responsible for errors in the information of the senders and recipients and any resulting disadvantages.
• After writing the complete information of the importer and exporter companies, the next most important point is to fully write down the details of the transported products. In addition, a detailed list of the products to be transported should be created. Products added to the list must be checked meticulously in unpacked form.
• All details of the product or products to be transported, such as their weight, total number of boxes, total number of pieces, and packaging types, must be explained. Including all these details of the products to be transported in the CMR document prevents potential negative issues for both the importer and the exporter.
What Information Does a CMR Document Contain?
In addition to the importer and exporter company details, the information that a CMR document must contain is as follows:
• Name of the importer company
• Address of the importer company
• Name of the exporter company
• Address of the exporter company
• Place and date where the cargo is to be delivered
• Place and date where the cargo is to be received
• Name and address of the recipient
• Type of transported cargo
• Type and quantity of packaging
• Gross weight and quantity of the cargo
• Terms of delivery
In addition to the items above, other information that may be present in the document is as follows:
• Document indicating that re-loading of the product is not allowed
• Points that the sender agrees to pay for
• Amount to be paid upon delivery
• Specification of dangerous or fragile products with documentation
• Instruction given by the sender to the recipient for the insurance of the transported product
• Document indicating the dates between which the product to be transported must be delivered
• List containing all documents provided to the carrier who will transport the products
How Many Copies of the CMR Document Are Prepared?
The CMR document is prepared as 3 original copies. One of the 3 prepared copies is sent to the exporter company, another to the importer company, and the other to the carrier company that will perform the transport.
Since it serves as proof of the transported goods and the service provided, it is accepted as a legal document. It must be kept for at least 1 year after the transport process is completed. This ensures protection against potential adversities, providing security for the carrier company.
The items that the company performing the transportation must check when taking delivery of the goods are as follows:
• That the information in the CMR transport document matches the number of boxes and markings
• That the packaging of the products listed in the CMR document is checked openly before the shipment takes place.
Where Can You Obtain a CMR Document?
The CMR document is not issued by any organization. Because even though preparing the document is mandatory, there is no governing body that prepares it. For this reason, sender and receiver companies wishing to ship goods by road must prepare the CMR document themselves to ensure the safety of their products.
This prepared CMR document must be signed and approved by the import and export companies. The signed CMR document guarantees the safety of the products.
Sample Turkish CMR Document
The CMR document is a type of agreement made between European countries that accept the provisions of this convention. Turkey is also among the European countries that accept the CMR provisions, making this agreement mandatory. Therefore, in Turkey, individuals must create the CMR document themselves on behalf of import and export companies.
Based on the sample CMR documents above, you should clearly and thoroughly specify your own template, product information, sender and receiver details, as well as aspects such as delivery place and time in the document you will prepare.
What is a CMR Road Consignment Note?
In cross-border road transport, the CMR road consignment note is the written declaration of the carriage contract. This contract is internationally valid and is a type of CMR contract.
Carriers who transport products in exchange for payment will be fined and subject to administrative action if they do not have a CMR bill of lading with them. To avoid being victimized in these situations, the CMR bill of lading must be held by the carrier transporting the product throughout the transport duration.
Which Countries are Members of the CMR Agreement?
The CMR agreement is an agreement made between European countries. It is a mandatory security document prepared in road transport to ensure the safety of goods, safeguard exporter and importer companies, and prevent victimization due to adverse events. The countries that are parties to the CMR agreement can be listed as follows;
• Uzbekistan, Albania, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Armenia, Morocco, Lebanon, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Belarus, Great Britain, Hungary, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Macedonia, Mongolia, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Czech Republic, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Sweden, Switzerland.
