Transport (shipping) documents record the terms of carriage and help identify a shipment: who sends and who receives the cargo, who carries it, where the consignment is going from and to, what exactly is being carried, in what quantity and weight, and what remarks were made when the cargo was taken over and delivered.
Submit an applicationIn international transport, the documents you will meet most often are the CMR consignment note (road), the bill of lading (sea) and the AWB (air). For carriage within Russia, the transport waybill (transportnaya nakladnaya) is used and, for accounting purposes, the TTN (Russian consignment note, form 1-T).
In practice, problems arise not from "complicated terminology" but from confusion: one document is requested and another is sent; key fields are missing; numbers and figures do not match between papers from different links in the chain.
Below are verified definitions and a list of the particulars that most often prove critical for identifying a shipment and for any later dispute.
CMR is the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road. In everyday correspondence, "CMR" is often also used for the document itself, the CMR consignment note.
The CMR consignment note confirms the contract of carriage and contains a set of particulars about the parties and the goods. In practice, the most important fields are those that allow the note to be matched unambiguously to a specific shipment:
The carrier's remarks on taking over the goods deserve particular attention. If the carrier cannot check certain particulars or notices discrepancies in the packaging or condition, this is usually recorded as reservations (also known as clausing). The absence of reservations may be taken to mean that the goods were accepted "without remarks" as to their apparent condition.
The bill of lading is the key document in sea carriage. It is easiest to think of it as a document that confirms the contract of carriage by sea and the receipt or loading of the cargo by the carrier, and that makes release of the cargo conditional on presentation of the document.
Practical tip: if there are several sea transport documents in the chain, state the exact document type and number in your correspondence, and whether the original is required for release of the cargo.
The AWB (air waybill) is the main document in air cargo carriage: it records the contract of carriage between the shipper and the carrier and is used to handle and track the shipment. International rules allow both a paper form and an electronic record (e-AWB).
The minimum information that usually has to appear in the AWB or cargo receipt:
Air waybills carry an 11-digit number, the first 3 digits being the airline prefix. In addition, forwarding chains involve two levels of documents:
MAWB (Master AWB) - the document between the forwarder or consolidator and the airline.
To avoid wasting time on "the number does not match", say in your document request whether you need the MAWB or the HAWB (or both) and for what purpose: tracking, customs, a claim or internal accounting.
A transport waybill is issued for one or more consignments carried on a single vehicle. It can be issued on paper (usually in several originals, one for each party) or as an electronic transport waybill. The key practical sections are the details of the parties, the route and the loading and unloading addresses, the description of the cargo, the list of accompanying documents, and the remarks on the actual handover of the cargo and its condition on taking over and on delivery.
The TTN (Russian consignment note, form 1-T) has traditionally been used to record the movement of inventory and to settle payment for transport. The form has a goods section and a transport section.
The key point for communication: the "transport waybill" and the "TTN 1-T" are different documents with different purposes. If you simply write "we need the TTN", you risk requesting the wrong document and ending up with an incomplete set of papers.
Document | Where it is used | What it records (in practice) | Key fields to check |
CMR consignment note | International road carriage (CMR regime) | Parties, route, description and identification of the shipment; remarks on taking over | parties; place and date of taking over and place of delivery; packages, marks and numbers; weight; reservations and signatures |
Bill of lading (B/L) | Sea carriage | Receipt or loading of the cargo and terms of carriage by sea; identification of the cargo | marks; quantity or weight; apparent condition and reservations; ports; B/L number |
AWB | Air carriage (including e-AWB) | Contract of carriage by air and tracking of the shipment | 11-digit number; departure and destination; weight; MAWB/HAWB (if any) |
Transport waybill (Russia) | Road carriage within Russia | Handover and acceptance of the cargo for carriage and its delivery; terms of carriage | parties; addresses, dates and times; description of the cargo, packages and weight; remarks on condition; signatures |
TTN (form 1-T) | Inventory accounting and settlements for road transport | Goods and transport sections for recording the movement of inventory and the transport work performed | details of the shipper, consignee and carrier; cargo data; signatures and stamps (where applicable) |
Document number and date (and, if available, a reference to the order, invoice or contract).
Parties: shipper, consignee and carrier, with names and addresses free of typos.
Route: place (address, port or airport) of taking over and place of delivery; dates and times, if required.
Description of the cargo: name, packaging and, if necessary, special conditions. Number of packages and their marks or numbers (where applicable).
Weight (and units of measurement): it should match across the key documents in the chain, or any discrepancy should be explained.
Remarks on the actual condition on taking over: damage, wet or dry, integrity of the packaging, etc.
Carrier's reservations: whether there are any and what they relate to; whether the wording is legible.
Signatures and dates: who signed and in what capacity (authorised person, driver, agent).
Accompanying documents: whether they are listed in the waybill (invoice, packing list, certificates, etc.) and whether they are actually attached.
Is carriage still international "under CMR" if no consignment note was issued?
The convention provides that the absence or irregularity of the consignment note does not affect the contract of carriage, but the documentary evidence becomes weaker.
Which CMR fields most often "break" the identification of a shipment?
Places of taking over and delivery, parties, number of packages and marks, weight, and reservations on taking over.
Is a bill of lading always required?
Several types of transport document are used in sea carriage. For a specific deal and cargo release procedure, it is important to agree which document applies and whether the original is required.
Which bill of lading fields matter most in a dispute over quantity or condition?
Marks, quantity or weight, and remarks on apparent condition (including the carrier's reservations).
Is the AWB the air equivalent of a bill of lading?
Both documents relate to carriage, but they work differently. The AWB primarily documents air carriage and tracking, whereas in maritime practice the bill of lading may be tied to the cargo release procedure.
Why do people sometimes ask for the MAWB and receive the HAWB (or vice versa)?
They are documents at different levels: the MAWB links the airline and the forwarder or consolidator, the HAWB links the forwarder and the client. They have different numbers and purposes.
What is an e-AWB?
It is an electronic way of documenting the carriage: an electronic record replaces the paper AWB (where this is permitted for the route and for the parties in the chain).
Are the transport waybill and the TTN (1-T) interchangeable?
No. The transport waybill relates to the contract of carriage and records the handover and delivery of the cargo, whereas the TTN 1-T is more about inventory accounting and settlements for transport.
What should you do if the weight or number of packages differs between documents?
First, check the units of measurement and the source of the data (weight from the packing list, from weighing or from measurements). Then record the discrepancy in a report or remarks and in correspondence, so that everyone in the chain works from the same explanation.
