What Is a Transport Order? Meaning and Contents

A transport order is the binding instruction to move specified goods from A to B within an agreed time frame. It confirms the agreement between the ordering party (the shipper or a freight forwarder) and the carrier that performs the transport. In practice, the meaning is simple: once the carrier accepts the order, it agrees to carry the goods on the terms the order states.

What a transport order contains

A transport order holds all the details needed to carry it out: consignor and consignee, loading and unloading points, time windows, the type and quantity of goods, loading metres or weight, and the agreed price. Beyond these core contents, a usable order also states:

• the reference numbers the loading and delivery points ask for at the gate,
• the vehicle and body required, for example a curtainsider with a tail lift or a refrigerated trailer with a set temperature,
• whether pallets are exchanged and who pays for waiting time beyond an agreed limit,
• dangerous goods details, such as the UN number and class, if the load falls under the ADR,
• payment terms, currency and the documents to return, such as the signed delivery note.

Transport order, waybill and handling

The transport order is the basis of the transport; the CMR waybill and the bill of lading then travel with the goods as proof. The order and the consignment note have different jobs. On an international road shipment, the CMR Convention states that the contract of carriage is confirmed by the consignment note, but a missing, irregular or lost note does not affect the existence or validity of the contract. The note is prima facie evidence of the contract, its conditions and the carrier's receipt of the goods. The transport order records what was agreed before the truck arrived, from the price to waiting time and pallet exchange. In the Planner Module from IMPARGO you plan the route for each order and send both to the driver.

Problems start where the order is vague. A time window written as "morning", a missing gate reference or an unclear rule on waiting time turns into a dispute once the truck is standing at the ramp. When the carrier hands the job to a subcontractor, it issues its own transport order for the same load, with its own price, and the details must match the original in everything except the money. Changes agreed by phone, such as a new delivery time, belong in the order as well, so that the invoice can later refer to them.