What is a CMR consignment note?
CMR is the French abbreviation of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, signed in Geneva in 1956. It applies when goods are carried by road for reward between two countries, at least one of which is a party to the convention. The note is made out in three originals signed by sender and carrier: one for the sender, one that travels with the goods to the consignee and one kept by the carrier.
Unlike a negotiable bill of lading, a CMR note is not a document of title: the goods go to the consignee named on it, and it cannot be endorsed to a buyer. Unlike an ordinary delivery note, it brings the convention's liability rules with it. Compensation for loss or damage is capped at 8.33 special drawing rights (SDR) per kilogram of gross weight unless a higher value or a special interest in delivery is declared on the note.
On delivery the consignee signs the carrier's copy, which then serves as proof of delivery. Visible damage or shortage should be written on the note as a reservation at that moment, because a clean signature is taken as evidence that the goods arrived in good order. Forwarders collect signed CMRs promptly, since road freight invoices are commonly paid only against them. An electronic version, the e-CMR, is recognized in countries that have ratified the convention's 2008 additional protocol.