What is a CMR consignment note?
The CMR is the international consignment note for road transport, named after the 1956 Geneva Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, to which every European country is a party. It is the receipt that the carrier took over the goods, the evidence of the contract of carriage and the document a loss or damage claim is based on — which is why it travels with the truck and is signed at loading and at delivery.
Who fills it in and how many copies?
By the Convention the sender draws it up; in practice the forwarder or carrier usually completes it from the sender's data. The standard set has four copies: red for the sender, blue for the consignee, green for the carrier and black for administration or customs. The generator prints all four in one A4 PDF.
The most common mistakes
- Empty box 18 — if the driver does not note damaged packaging or a shortage, the carrier is liable for the goods as described.
- Missing weight or package count — no basis for a claim in case of damage or loss.
- Different addresses in boxes 2 and 3 without a note — the truck goes to the wrong place.
- Unsigned box 24 — without the consignee's signature and date there is no proof of delivery, and the freight invoice is often disputed.
- Handwritten, illegible CMR — the generated PDF is legible, identical on all four copies and kept as a file.
e-CMR and eFTI
The electronic consignment note (e-CMR) is 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. eFTI is a separate EU regulation: from 9 July 2027 authorities must accept the regulatory information about a transport when it is made available electronically through a certified eFTI platform. It does not oblige companies to go paperless, and the paper CMR remains acceptable. A legible CMR like the one you create here is a good start; in Nucra the same data stays a structured CMR, linked to the order, with electronic confirmation by the parties and a history of changes.
FAQ
- Is the CMR generator free?
- Yes. Fill in the 24 boxes, load company data from an EU VAT number and download an A4 PDF with all four copies. No sign-up; the data stays in your browser.
- In which languages can I print the CMR?
- Every box label is printed in English plus a second language of your choice: Bulgarian, German, Italian, Romanian, Greek, Turkish, Polish, Dutch, French, Spanish or Ukrainian.
- How many copies does a CMR have?
- Four: red for the sender, blue for the consignee, green for the carrier and black for administration or customs. The generator prints all four.
- Does the generator check the VAT number?
- Yes — it queries the EU VIES register and fills in the registered company name and address for the sender, consignee or carrier.
- What is the difference between this tool and Nucra?
- The tool creates one PDF. Nucra keeps the companies and the numbering, links every CMR to its order and invoice, tracks delivery and keeps the CMR as a structured document with electronic confirmation by the parties and a history of changes — for companies that issue consignment notes every week.