In consolidation to the UK the rule is: as a default, a separate CMR note for every consignment, because the CMR evidences the contract of carriage between a specific consignor and the carrier. The exception is cargo covered by a single contract of carriage, such as a collection round several suppliers for one consignee: there the main leg travels on one collective note with a packing list attached. Customs declarations are also made per consignment, each with its own MRN. At the border one GMR reference for the vehicle ties everything together, collecting all declaration numbers on board.
Why not one shared CMR
The CMR Convention links the consignment note to the contract of carriage of a specific consignment: consignor, consignee, goods, places of taking over and delivery. With ten consignors there is no single contract, so there is no single note. A shared document would also make life harder for everyone: in a damage case or an inspection there would be no way to separate liability and contents. In practice the driver carries the full set of CMR notes plus a cargo manifest, a summary of all consignments on the truck, useful at checks and transhipments. How to fill in a single note correctly is covered in our article on the CMR consignment note.
Customs declarations: per consignment, not per truck
Each consignor and consignee pair is a separate transaction, so a separate EU export declaration and a separate UK import declaration, each with its own MRN. This way duty and VAT are settled with the right importer, and a document error in one consignment does not invalidate the others. It can still hold them up physically, because the goods travel together; that is why we check the sets before departure, not at the terminal.
GMR: one reference per vehicle
The GMR is sometimes called a collective declaration, although formally it declares nothing: it gathers ready declarations into one code for the carrier. The carrier role in GVMS is described in our article on the GVMS system.
What the consignor prepares and what we do
- Consignor: invoice, packing list, EORI details, origin information for the goods.
- We, as part of the carriage: CMR notes, coordination of customs declarations, the manifest, the GMR and crossing bookings.
- Together: consistency between invoice, packing list and declaration, because mismatches stop the whole truck.
Sources
- UNECE: CMR Convention on the contract for international carriage of goods by road
- GOV.UK: get a Goods Movement Reference (GVMS)
- GOV.UK: international road haulage, the CMR consignment note
Want to know what the paperwork for your consolidated consignment will look like? Ask through the contact form. We handle declarations within our customs clearance service, and groupage principles are described with LTL transport from one pallet.
