In both English and French, CMR stands for "Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road '' and "Convention relating au contra de transport international de merchandises par route," respectively. This treaty governs contract execution and assignment as well as liability for delays and the loss or damage of transported goods and acts as an international accord. Regulations regarding complaints and the situation of succeeding hauliers are also included in the pact. National law is also utilized in cases when the CMR does not adequately address the issue. Only freight transported by road vehicles is covered by the agreement. The CMR does not consider containers and swap bodies to be vehicles in and of themselves.
The following details must be included in the CMR document:
- The name and address of the transport company, as well as the consignee
- The date and location where the document was completed
- The description of the transported goods and the packaging method
- The weight of the goods; the charges associated with the goods
- The information regarding dangerous goods.
History
Under the direction of the UNO, the pact was drafted in 1956. Ten nations initially agreed to sign it. Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland were the founding members of the CMR. Both the Federal Republic of Germany and the DDR ratified the treaty in 1961 and 1974, respectively. Since then, two African nations (Morocco and Tunisia) as well as other Central Asian and Middle Eastern nations have joined as signatories, including all of Europe.
About the Term
Although the name "CMR" formally refers to the agreement, in actuality, it is frequently used as a shorthand for the CMR waybill. Really, this standardized form is only necessary for cross-border transportation of goods if (at least) the country of origin or destination is a CMR member. However, it is frequently utilized for interstate transports in the transportation sector.
