Do you handle transport orders? This guide will provide you with all the necessary information, including, among others, about the rules for creating orders and the legal obligations arising out of an accepted offer. You will also learn why the terms of the order is a section that you should always read carefully.
1. What does a transport order contain?
A transport order is a document on the basis of which the agreement between the ordering party and the carrier is concluded. It primarily specifies the exact address and loading/unloading date, load type and weight, transport vehicle car type, load insurance, information on possible additional fees resulting from the transport, and detailed terms of payment of the service.
What does a transport order look like? There are many commonly available order templates that you just need to fill in. You can also create an order on your own but remember to include all the required information.
2. How to place a transport order?
According to the adopted CMR Convention, a transport order should be in writing.
Until recently, it was necessary to create order template forms in such programs as Word, so you had to, in sequence:
- name the document “transport order” or “carriage order,”
- specify the type of service: “I hereby order transport/carriage of the goods,”
- complete data of both parties: the ordering party and the contractor (the carrier),
- provide the dates of loading and unloading,
- add the exact transport address,
- specify the price of service or the “freight price,”
3. How to cancel a transport order?
Unlike a standard agreement where both of the parties have to accept its terms, an order may be accepted also by a so-called “silent acceptance”—i.e. the acknowledgement that the lack of objection from the carrier to the order sent, within a specific time, is equal to the acceptance thereof. It applies only to transactions with counterparties with whom we are in a regular economic relationship, so the counterparties with whom we have a regular economic collaboration, not consisting of incidental orders. There is a popular entry in the terms and conditions, with the wording of e.g.: “No written refusal of the order within 30 minutes means the acceptance of order along with all the terms thereof.”
The acceptance of the order by both of the parties is normally a legally binding transport agreement.
4. How long to store transport orders?
You should keep the documentation for 5 years. However, experts suggest to store it for a longer period because you can never be sure when you might need it.
