There is a lot of talk about "the end of the paper CMR" in 2027. The facts are calmer — and worth knowing before anyone sells you a deadline.
What eFTI actually requires
Under the EU eFTI Regulation (electronic freight transport information), from 9 July 2027 authorities across the Union must accept the regulatory information about a transport when a company makes it available electronically through a certified eFTI platform.
What it does not do:
- It does not oblige transport companies to go paperless.
- It does not abolish the paper CMR — paper remains acceptable.
- It is not the same thing as e-CMR.
e-CMR is a separate thing
An e-CMR is the electronic consignment note provided for by the 2008 Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention. Whether it can replace the paper CMR on a given route depends on the countries involved — so check it lane by lane with your partners instead of assuming.
What is worth doing now
- Structured data, not scans. Whatever comes next starts from clean transport data — not from a photo of a form.
- Entered once. Addresses, goods, weights and references come from the order instead of being re-typed into the CMR.
- A history of changes. Who changed what, and who confirmed what, matters in a dispute — on paper or not.
- Documents connected to money. Proof of delivery should become an invoice the same day.
How to choose a system
- Ask exactly what a vendor means by "e-CMR": which legal basis, which signature method, which countries. A vague "eFTI-ready" is not an answer — eFTI platforms have to be certified.
- Make sure the CMR comes out of the same order that drives dispatch and invoicing — not a separate app.
- Keep paper working: printing the four copies and photographing the signed CMR at delivery are not going away.
That is how Nucra works today: a structured CMR from the order, with electronic confirmation by the parties and a history of changes, printed as the familiar four-copy form whenever it is needed — and the proof of delivery flows straight into the invoice, with nothing re-typed.