🚚 Export knowledge • Road freight documents • Since 1998

CMR note explained
The road document that decides what you can claim

The CMR consignment note governs international road freight. It is a receipt and evidence of the contract — but not a document of title. Its most important feature is one most senders never discover until something goes wrong: the carrier’s liability is capped by weight, not by what your goods are worth.

Ask about your shipment 📞 0800 096 38 39

⚖️Liability capped at 8.33 SDR per kg
📜Three copies — sender, goods, carrier
⏳7 and 21 day claim deadlines
📅Handling road freight documents since 1998

The basics

What a CMR note is

If your goods travel by road across an international border, the document that governs the journey is the CMR consignment note. It takes its name from the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, and it does two jobs: it proves the carrier received your goods, and it is evidence of the contract between you.

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A receipt. Signed when the goods are collected and again when they are delivered, recording what was handed over and in what condition.

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Evidence of the contract of carriage, setting out who the parties are, what is being carried, and on what terms.

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Not a document of title. Unlike a bill of lading, a CMR note cannot be endorsed, sold or traded, and holding one does not give you ownership of the goods. This catches people out who assume all transport documents work the same way.

The document

Three copies, and what has to be on it

Copy	Who holds it
First copy	Stays with the sender — your proof of what was handed over.
Second copy	Travels with the goods and is handed to the consignee on delivery.
Third copy	Retained by the carrier.

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The note carries a standard set of fields — sender, consignee and carrier details, place and date of collection, place of delivery, description of the goods and packaging, number of packages, gross weight, charges, and any special instructions such as customs formalities.

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Once issued it should not be altered unless sender, carrier and consignee all agree in writing. Unilateral changes on a CMR are worthless as evidence.

The part that matters most

Liability is capped — and lower than most people assume

This is the single most valuable thing to understand about road freight, and it surprises almost every business the first time.

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The carrier’s liability is limited to 8.33 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per kilogram of gross weight. SDR is an IMF unit whose value moves daily. At roughly £1.07 to the SDR, that is around £8,900 per tonne — regardless of what the goods are actually worth.

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Do the sum for your own cargo. A pallet of electronics weighing 200 kg is covered to roughly £1,780 under CMR. If the goods are worth £20,000, the gap is yours unless you have arranged cover.

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You can raise it. Declaring a higher value in the consignment note, or declaring a special interest in delivery, increases the carrier’s exposure — and the carrier will charge a premium for it. Alternatively arrange proper goods-in-transit or marine cover, which is usually the more sensible route.

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The cap can fall away where the carrier is guilty of wilful misconduct or equivalent default, in which case liability is not limited — but that is a legal argument you would rather not have to run.

If something goes wrong

The time limits that decide whether you have a claim

These deadlines are short, and missing them can end a claim before it starts. This is the practical reason the CMR note matters at delivery, not just at collection.

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Visible damage or loss: note it on the consignment note at the moment of delivery. Signing a clean CMR for a damaged pallet makes a later claim very difficult.

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Damage that isn’t apparent: notify the carrier in writing within seven days of delivery, not counting Sundays and public holidays.

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Delay: a claim must be made in writing within twenty-one days of the goods being placed at the consignee’s disposal.

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Tell whoever receives the goods to check before signing. That one instruction protects more claims than anything else. “Received unchecked” is not a reservation — describe what is actually wrong.

Worth knowing

What CMR doesn’t cover

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Furniture removals are excluded from the Convention. If you are moving household goods by road, CMR does not apply — so the terms and the insurance arrangement for that move matter even more. Ask what cover is actually in place rather than assuming a convention protects you.

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Postal consignments and funeral consignments are also outside the Convention.

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Customs delays generally do not create carrier liability, provided the carrier acted with reasonable diligence and supplied the documents required.

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Electronic CMR (eCMR) exists under an additional protocol to the Convention and is in use in a growing number of countries, though paper notes remain common.

Common questions

Your questions answered

What is a CMR note? +

The consignment note used for international road freight, named after the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. It acts as a receipt for the goods and as evidence of the contract of carriage between sender and carrier.

Is a CMR note a document of title? +

No. Unlike a bill of lading, a CMR note cannot be endorsed, sold or traded, and holding one does not give you ownership of the goods.

How much is a road carrier liable for? +

Liability is capped at 8.33 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram of gross weight. At roughly GBP 1.07 to the SDR that is around GBP 8,900 per tonne, regardless of what the goods are actually worth. You can declare a higher value for a premium, or arrange separate goods-in-transit cover.

How long do I have to make a claim? +

Visible damage should be noted on the consignment note at delivery. Damage that is not apparent must be notified in writing within seven days of delivery, excluding Sundays and public holidays. A claim for delay must be made in writing within twenty-one days.

How many copies of a CMR note are there? +

Three. One stays with the sender, one travels with the goods and is handed to the consignee, and one is retained by the carrier.

Does CMR cover household removals? +

No. Furniture removals are excluded from the Convention, along with postal and funeral consignments. If you are moving household goods by road, check what cover is actually in place rather than assuming CMR applies.

What is eCMR? +

The electronic version of the consignment note, provided for under an additional protocol to the Convention. It is in use in a growing number of countries, though paper notes remain common.

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Lak Kharod, Director

Excess Luggage Co. • 40 years in the freight industry • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

“Most people sign the CMR at delivery without checking the goods. That signature is the difference between having a claim and not having one — if something is wrong, write it on the note there and then.” Call 0800 096 38 39.

CMR note explainedThe road document that decides what you can claim