e-CMR
An e-CMR is the digital equivalent of the paper CMR consignment note, enabled by the Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention, allowing the document to be created, signed, and shared electronically.
What is an e-CMR?
The legal basis is the Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention concerning the Electronic Consignment Note, adopted in Geneva on 20 February 2008 and in force since 5 June 2011. It allows the consignment note required by the CMR Convention to be created, signed and kept electronically, provided the parties authenticate it with a reliable electronic signature and the note's integrity is protected from the moment it is issued. Where the Protocol applies, the electronic note has the same evidential value as the paper one.
Adoption is country by country: a state becomes bound by acceding to the Protocol, so before replacing paper on a route, check that it applies to the countries involved. Many carriers run paper and electronic notes side by side during the transition.
The note is issued from the transport order, so sender, consignee, carrier, places, goods and instructions are copied rather than handwritten. At loading, the sender and the carrier sign; at delivery, the consignee signs or records reservations about missing or damaged goods. Every party sees the same record in real time, and authorities can be given read access for a roadside check.
Example: a carrier picks up 26 pallets in Rotterdam for a customer in Lyon. The driver signs as carrier on a phone at the dock, the shipping clerk signs through a link, and the consignee signs on arrival with a reservation that one pallet is damaged. That reservation is on the record the moment it is made, so the claim and the invoice can start the same day instead of waiting for paper copies to come back.
The e-CMR is related to, but not the same as, eFTI. Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 obliges authorities to accept freight transport information electronically from certified eFTI platforms from 9 July 2027; the e-CMR is the consignment note that records the contract of carriage between the parties.
Transportial issues the note natively with eCMR: from a consignment or for every consignment on a Trip, signed in the OpenMove driver app (also offline) or through a secure link without an account, with every event chained by a SHA-256 hash, and with an inspection link and QR code for authorities. Companies that already use TransFollow can keep it through the TransFollow integration.
Frequently asked questions
Is the e-CMR legally valid?
In countries that have ratified the e-CMR Additional Protocol, the electronic consignment note has the same legal status as the paper version. Adoption varies by country, so it is worth confirming for the specific routes you operate; this is not legal advice.
What is the difference between a CMR and an e-CMR?
The content and the legal role are the same: both record the contract of carriage under the CMR Convention. A paper CMR is made out in at least three signed originals that travel with the goods and have to be returned; an e-CMR is a single electronic record that all parties sign and see, with every change logged.
Does the consignee need special software to sign an e-CMR?
Not necessarily. Many e-CMR solutions let the consignee sign on the driver's device or through a secure link in a browser. In Transportial, sender and consignee sign through a link without a Transportial account.
How does a roadside inspector see an e-CMR?
Inspectors need to see the note during a check, so e-CMR systems provide a way to present it. Transportial gives authorities a read-only inspection link, opened from the QR code on the PDF, that shows the note and its full history.
See e-CMR in a real TMS
Transportial puts these concepts to work in one operational platform — planning, tracking, documents, and finance.