The two-year countdown to mandatory eCMR and paperless freight begins

Some of the simplest and most useful technology often takes a lot of time to be widely adopted. But once it has, we wonder how we managed without it.

The paper-based CMR consignment note for international transport shipments covers around 280 million cross-border road journeys every year – and uses huge amounts of paper. But its digital version, the e-CMR which was trialled in 2019 is only just becoming mainstream. The IRU and Trans.iNFO report that the EU’s Electronic Freight Transport Information Regulation (eFTI) mandates that all EU authorities must accept electronic freight information submitted by certified platforms-including eCMR from 9 July 2027,

Forward-thinking RHA member, Brian Yeardley Continental took part in those trials six years ago led by RHA director John Lucy, that resulted in the UK ratification of eCMR by UK Parliament in December 2019. It has taken our industry a while to transition but we should expect the uptake to speed up now the countdown to full adoption in two years’ time has started in earnest.

Under the paper system each CMR must be completed manually, signed in triplicate, scanned-sent to shipper as POD and physically stored by both parties. Errors such as a missing date or an illegible signature have led to a vast number of disputes, insurance claims and non-payment.

But with a digital version all the data is consolidated into a single digital flow visible to all authorised parties, so proof of delivery is instantaneous allowing same day invoicing. This means less administration, faster billing and reduced payment delays or customer disputes.

Trials of eCMR conducted in Italy by the IRU report a 60% reduction in administrative time and a 70% reduction in costs associated with handling paper CMR notes – gains that could reshape margins for international hauliers.

The EU Commission estimates that the industry could save 1 billion euros per year in admin costs, balanced with the environmental benefits of eliminating 160 million sheets of paper and the associated storage costs of completed CMRs.

Large scale adoption throughout Europe is expected during 2026 and transport companies should prepare and plan for the change:
- Understand how to phase in the purchase and use of eCMR’s.
- Integrate eCMR capability in Transport Management Systems during 2026
- Only eFTI certified systems will be recognised by authorities from 2027
- Drivers must know how to display digital documents during roadside checks, and operations teams need to manage digital PODs.
- Ensure customers accept eCMR as a valid POD.

As always, we will be working closely with all stakeholders during this transition and look forward to any feedback from early adopters that we can share with UK and EU authorities.