How is the CMR document completed for an ADR road transport?

Given that, in accordance with the provisions of the CMR Convention and also under the ADR Agreement, chapter 1.4.2.1.1 (b), consignors are obliged to provide the carrier with information and data in a traceable form and, where applicable, the transport documents and the documents required to accompany the goods (authorisations, approvals, notifications, certificates, etc.), taking into account in particular the requirements of chapter 5.4 (the way dangerous goods are declared in the transport document) and the tables in Part 3. Find out from this article how the CMR document is completed! An article by Honexpres intended in particular for consignors of dangerous goods (logistics centres, warehouses, manufacturers, etc.).

How is the CMR document completed for an ADR road transport?

There are situations in which the consignor does not provide this information. As a result, the carrier has to complete the transport document and declare the dangerous goods in the transport document.

To assist consignors, and carriers too, we present a few situations involving consignments of dangerous goods and explain how the goods are declared in the transport document.

The basic information that must be given in the transport document about the dangerous goods:

• The UN number, preceded by the letters “UN”,

• The proper shipping name of the substance, supplemented where applicable by the technical name of the substance,

• The number of the danger label or labels,

• The packing group of the substance, except for substances of classes 1, 2, 5.2, 6.2, 7 and self-reactive goods of class 4.1,

• The tunnel restriction code – except where it is known at the time of loading that there are no tunnels on the route on which the transport will be carried out, or no tunnels with restrictions for dangerous goods,

• The number of packages,

• The description of the type of packaging, which may be supplemented in brackets by the code that indicates precisely, in accordance with ADR, the type and material of the packaging,

• The total quantity per type of packaging,

• Other additional information.

The information needed to declare dangerous goods in the transport document is taken from Table A in Chapter 3.2 of ADR:

Columns (1), (2), (4), (5) and (15) must be taken into account when we declare the dangerous goods in the transport document. If you fill in the information in the order (1)-(2)-(5)-(4)-(15), the dangerous goods will be declared correctly.

Useful examples of completing the CMR document

1. Transport/Consignment

Ammonium nitrate assigned to UN number 2067, carried in flexible intermediate bulk containers, 10,000 kg (10 tonnes) in total

So we can see in this example that the following were entered in the CMR document for this ADR road transport:

• the UN number of the substance, preceded by the letters UN, in the form UN2067,
• the name and description of the dangerous substance carried, namely “Ammonium nitrate”,
• the class of the dangerous substance carried, in this case class 5.1,
• the classification code of the dangerous substance carried, in this case code O2,
• the packing group, in this case group III,
• the label code, in this case 5.1,
• the tunnel restriction code.

Let us now look at another example as well:

2. Transport/Consignment

DISINFECTANT, LIQUID, CORROSIVE assigned to UN number 1903, packed in inner receptacles of 20 L contained in outer packagings of the fibreboard box type. The total quantity of corrosive substance is 2000 litres.

In this example too we can see how the CMR document for this ADR road transport is completed:

• the UN number of the substance, preceded by the letters UN, in the form UN1903,
• the name and description of the dangerous substance carried, namely “Disinfectant, liquid, corrosive, N.O.S.”,
• the class of the dangerous substance carried, in this case class 8,
• the classification code of the dangerous substance carried, in this case code C9,
• the packing group, in this case group II,
• the label code, in this case 8,
• the special provisions,
• the tunnel restriction code.

3. Transport/Consignment

• 30 drums of acetone, 600 litres in total,
• 100 jerricans of acetone, 1000 litres in total,
• 50 bags of solid naphthalene, 250 kg in total.

4. Transport/Consignment

Dangerous goods consigned in limited quantities, which fall under exemption 1.1.3.6 of ADR, meaning that the calculated ADR points total does not exceed 1000 points.

• 5 jerricans of METHANOL, UN 1230, 75 litres in total,
• 20 boxes of PAINT, UN 1263, packing group III, 400 litres in total and a gross weight of 520 kg.

NOTES:

• The PAINTS are packed in inner receptacles, plastic jerricans, overpacked in fibreboard boxes. For combination packagings of this kind, the type of inner packaging must NOT be indicated in the transport document, only the outer one. In this case – fibreboard box.

• For the exemption below 1000 points to apply to consignments of dangerous goods in limited quantities, the transport document must indicate (after the declaration of the dangerous goods) the quantities for each transport category and the points calculated per transport category.

• The total number of points per consignment does NOT have to be indicated; it is not mandatory. However, it can help carriers, and drivers directly, to identify more quickly whether or not the goods fall within the exempted limits for carriage under 1.1.3.6.

We hope the information on how the CMR document is completed, set out with examples in this article, will help you.

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