Delivery Note, Waybill and CMR: Essential Transport Documents

Delivery note, waybill and CMR: essential transport documents

In road freight transport, three documents systematically appear and are sometimes confused by B2B buyers: the delivery note, the national waybill, and the CMR for international transport. Understanding their respective functions and legal value is essential to secure your goods receptions and effectively manage potential disputes.

The delivery note (DN)

The delivery note is the commercial document accompanying a delivery and attesting effective handover of goods to the recipient. It generally specifies: order reference, detail of delivered products (quantities, batches), sender and recipient identity, and delivery date. Its signature by the recipient constitutes an acknowledgement of receipt legally binding both parties — it is the reference document in case of dispute over delivery compliance.

The national waybill

For domestic road transport (within the same country), the waybill is the contractual document governing transport between sender, carrier and recipient. In France, it is governed by the Transport Code and specifies: transport conditions, transport price, agreed timeframes, and carrier liability in case of damage, loss or delay.

CMR — the international transport reference document

The CMR (Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road), signed in Geneva in 1956, is the mandatory document for any international road transport of goods between signatory countries (all EU and many third countries). A full legal document, the CMR waybill includes precise mandatory mentions and engages carrier liability under a specific regime defined by the convention.

Mandatory mentions on a CMR waybill

• Place and date of issue
• Sender's name and address
• Carrier's name and address
• Place and date of goods pickup, intended delivery place
• Recipient's name and address
• Common description of goods nature and packaging method
• Number of packages, particular marks, numbers
• Gross weight or otherwise expressed quantity of goods
• Required instructions for customs formalities

CMR's legal value — a regulated liability regime

The CMR convention precisely regulates carrier liability in case of loss, damage or delay of goods. The carrier is presumed liable unless they prove an exonerating cause provided by the convention (force majeure, inherent defect of goods, erroneous instructions from sender). Compensation is capped according to a scale based on goods weight — an important point to know for shipments of high-value food products, which may justify supplementary insurance.

What differences between DN, national waybill and CMR?