What the CMR Convention is, when it applies and what the note is for
CMR is the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, signed at Geneva on 19 May 1956. According to article 1, it applies to every contract for the carriage of goods by road in vehicles for reward, when the place of taking over of the goods and the place designated for delivery, as specified in the contract, are situated in two different countries, of which at least one is a contracting country. The residence and nationality of the parties do not matter.
Article 4 says the contract of carriage is confirmed by the making out of a consignment note. It also says that the absence, irregularity or loss of the note does not affect the existence or validity of the contract, which stays subject to the Convention.
Even so, the note matters a great deal in practice, because article 9 makes it prima facie evidence of the making of the contract, its conditions and the receipt of the goods by the carrier. If the note contains no specific reservations by the carrier, it is presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the goods and their packaging appeared in good condition when the carrier took them over and that the number of packages, their marks and numbers corresponded with the note.
Copies, signatures and stamps
Under article 5(1) the note is made out in three original copies, signed by the sender and by the carrier. The first copy is handed to the sender, the second accompanies the goods and the third is retained by the carrier. The signatures may be printed or replaced by the stamps of the sender and the carrier, if the law of the country where the note was made out so permits.
What the note must contain
Article 6(1) lists the particulars the note must contain:
- the date of the note and the place where it is made out;
- the name and address of the sender, of the carrier and of the consignee;
- the place and date of taking over of the goods and the place designated for delivery;
- the description in common use of the nature of the goods and the method of packing, and for dangerous goods their generally recognised description;
- the number of packages, their special marks and numbers, and the gross weight or the quantity otherwise expressed;
- charges relating to the carriage (carriage charges, supplementary charges, customs duties and other charges from the making of the contract to delivery);
- the requisite instructions for customs and other formalities;
- a statement that the carriage is subject, notwithstanding any clause to the contrary, to the provisions of the Convention.
Optional particulars, and who answers for mistakes
Article 6(2) lists particulars that go in "where applicable": a statement that trans-shipment is not allowed, the charges the sender undertakes to pay, the amount of cash on delivery charges, a declaration of the value of the goods and of special interest in delivery, the sender's insurance instructions, the agreed time-limit for the carriage and a list of the documents handed to the carrier. Under article 6(3) the parties may enter any other particulars they consider useful.
Article 7 puts the responsibility where the information comes from: the sender is responsible for all expenses, loss and damage the carrier suffers because of inaccurate or inadequate particulars of the kind listed in article 7(1). If the carrier enters those particulars at the sender's request, he is deemed, unless the contrary is proved, to have done so on the sender's behalf. And if the note lacks the statement that the carriage is subject to the Convention, the carrier is liable for the resulting expenses, loss and damage of the person entitled to dispose of the goods.
Reservations when the goods are taken over
Article 8(1) obliges the carrier, on taking over the goods, to check the accuracy of the statements in the note about the number of packages and their marks and numbers, and the apparent condition of the goods and their packaging.
When the carrier has no reasonable means of checking the number of packages and their marks, article 8(2) says he enters his reservations in the note together with the grounds for them. He must likewise give the grounds for any reservation about the apparent condition of the goods and packaging. Such reservations do not bind the sender unless the sender has expressly agreed to be bound by them in the note.
The sender may also require the carrier to check the gross weight or the quantity, and the contents of the packages. The carrier may claim the cost of the check, and the result is entered in the note (article 8(3)). A reservation without grounds is not what the article describes, so a driver should write what he saw and why he could not check, not just "unchecked".
Reservations at delivery
Article 30 sets the consignee's side. If the consignee takes delivery without duly checking the condition of the goods with the carrier, or without sending reservations giving a general indication of the loss or damage, that is prima facie evidence that he received the goods in the condition described in the note. The reservations must be made no later than the time of delivery for apparent loss or damage, and within seven days of delivery, Sundays and public holidays excepted, for loss or damage that is not apparent. For non-apparent loss or damage they must be in writing.
For delay, article 30(3) says no compensation is payable unless a reservation has been sent in writing to the carrier within twenty-one days from the time the goods were placed at the disposal of the consignee. The day of delivery or checking is not counted in these periods (article 30(4)).
e-CMR: the electronic consignment note
The Additional Protocol of 20 February 2008 lets the consignment note, and demands, declarations, instructions, requests and reservations relating to the contract, be made out by electronic communication (article 2(1)). An electronic note that complies with the Protocol is equivalent to the paper note, with the same evidentiary value and the same effects (article 2(2)).
The Protocol sets conditions. The note is authenticated by the parties with a reliable electronic signature linked to the note (article 3), it contains the same particulars as the paper one, and the procedure must keep its integrity and make any supplement or amendment detectable while preserving the original particulars (article 4). The interested parties must agree on how it is issued and delivered, how integrity is assured, how the entitled party shows its right, how delivery is confirmed, how it is amended, and how it can be replaced by a paper note (article 5).
On the UN Treaty Collection status page, consulted on 26 October 2026, the Republic of Moldova is listed with an accession dated 14 March 2018 and Romania with an accession dated 14 March 2019. That page does not say how each country's authorities, customs or your own clients handle e-CMR in daily practice, nor which platforms they accept, so check this with the national authority and with each counterparty before you rely on it.
Practical tips for the driver
These are working habits, not requirements of the Convention. Photograph every page of the note at loading and again at unloading, with the stamps and signatures readable. Photograph any remark about damage or a count that could not be checked, and the cargo itself if it supports the remark. Write reservations in clear block letters inside the note, with the reason. Do not leave without the copy that is meant to stay with the carrier. And send the photos to the office the same day, while the details are fresh.
How TAFI Agent covers it
In TAFI Agent the driver app lets the driver photograph the CMR and delivery notes straight into the order, and the key fields are read automatically; see compliance. A trip counts as finished only when there is real delivery evidence, meaning unloading confirmed by the driver and the documents attached, and finished trips are then checked before invoicing (see dispatch). For the order itself, see the transport order template. This guide covers the paper CMR and the legal framework; if you work with e-CMR, ask us what applies to your setup.
If you want to see how this fits your fleet, read the features or contact us.