eCMR and eFTI in one paragraph
eCMR is the electronic version of the international CMR consignment note, the document between the sender, the carrier and the consignee. eFTI is the EU regulation on electronic freight transport information, which sets out how companies can share transport data with inspection authorities. The first governs business relationships, the second the relationship with authorities. Together they are meant to make paper in freight transport unnecessary.
What eCMR is
eCMR is based on the Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention, adopted in Geneva on 20 February 2008 and in force since 5 June 2011. The protocol gives the electronic consignment note the same legal force as the paper one. Signatures, reservations on delivery and proof of delivery (POD) are made electronically, usually in an app on the driver's phone.
According to the UN Treaty Collection, 42 states are now parties to the protocol. Poland acceded on 13 June 2019, Germany in 2022, and Italy, Austria and Hungary in 2024. In 2026 more Balkan states joined, including Serbia and Montenegro. eCMR is safest to use when both the country of loading and the country of unloading are parties to the protocol and the parties to the transport contract have agreed to the electronic form.
