There is an essential document for the transport of goods by road: the consignment note. The consignment note, or CMR, is a document in which the details of the goods, the conditions of transport and liability are specified. Essentially, we could say that it is a contract between the company and the carrier for the carriage of goods.
An e-CMR is the digital version of this consignment note that contains information about the transport load and regulates the liability between the three actors in the logistics process: shipper, carrier and consignee.
The e-CMR offers major benefits over the paper consignment note:
- Time saving. With the digitalisation of the documentation you can forget about paperwork. In addition, the payment time will be faster as it is all online.
- Legal and juridical guarantee. It is legally valid in most of the EU countries.
- Greater control over the transport. Access for all collaborators to the e-CMR in real time and a geolocalised signature on delivery or collection of goods.
- Logistics efficiency. It is possible to include reviews of the status of the cargo received or to know the history of the logistical process of the goods.
Who must complete the consignment note?
Before knowing how to complete a consignment note, it is necessary to explain who is responsible for completing the consignment note. Both the carrier and the sender can be responsible for completing the waybill, but it is essential that the waybill has three original copies which must be signed by the carrier and the sender.
One copy of the consignment note should remain with the sender. The second copy should be retained by the carrier. And the third must be with the goods at all times.
What happens if the consignment note is not completed?
As we have already mentioned, the consignment note is a mandatory document, either in national or international transport. Therefore, not filling out the consignment note is considered an infraction that results in a financial penalty.
For example, in the case of carrying a consignment note (either electronically or physically) that does not record all the goods being transported correctly is considered a serious infraction and with a penalty between 4,001 and 6,000 euros.
On the other side, if the person responsible has been previously sanctioned in the last 12 months according to the infractions listed in the Land Transport Law, the amount can be between 6,001 and 18,000 euros.
How to fill in the electronic waybill or e-CMR
Completing an electronic waybill involves the same steps as a traditional waybill, whether for national or international transport of goods.
The essential information to be completed in a waybill is:
- Name or company name and address of the company issuing the goods.
- Name or company name and address of the loading company.
- Name(s) and address(es) of the transport operator or intermediary.
- Name(s) and address of the transport undertaking.
- Name and address of the consignee.
- Origin and destination of the transport.
- Registration number of the vehicles responsible for transporting the goods by road. In addition to other information such as possible changes of vehicles on the route or the use of trailers or semi-trailers.
- Place and date of issue of the road consignment note.
- Place and date of receipt of the goods.
- Place and date of delivery of the goods.
- Nature, number of packages and weight of the goods. If this is difficult to determine, other quantities may be used to determine the quantity of the goods.
- Packaging used for the shipment.
- Price of the transport and the person responsible for payment.
Is the use of the e-CMR mandatory?
The use of the ee-CMR is currently not mandatory, but many EU countries are already implementing it and it is expected that by 2024 it will be mandatory internationally.
Since the waybill is an essential document for transport, WebTrans wants to make it easier for all parties to complete it. For this reason, it has its own e-CMR on its platform, free of charge, which enables you to fill in the consignment note anywhere on your mobile phone.
Fill in the consignment note from your mobile phone with the WebTrans E-CMR.
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