A consignment note is a transport document used in freight transport that records the key details of a shipment and the underlying transport arrangement. It's typically used as part of a contract of carriage between sender and carrier and travels with the goods during transport. In practice, the consignment note serves as a standardized source of information for everyone involved — sender, carrier, recipient, and other service providers along the transport chain.
Different versions exist depending on the mode of transport and the legal framework. In international road freight, the consignment note is commonly known as the CMR consignment note (based on the CMR Convention). For air, sea, or rail transport, other documents are used that perform comparable functions but can differ in legal effect and data fields. What these documents share is that they make the shipment identifiable and ease handling at handover points.
In many situations, the consignment note isn't the same as proof of ownership of the goods. Its main role is documentation, communication, and operational coverage of the transport. In some areas (e.g. ocean freight), transport-related documents can also take on functions in trade and in the right to dispose of the goods; that depends on the specific document type.
The consignment note bundles the most important information needed to clearly identify a shipment and move it correctly. Typical entries include details of the parties (sender, carrier, recipient), the goods (description, number of packages, weight/volume, markings), loading and unloading locations, agreed services, and any special instructions — for example, temperature requirements, dangerous goods classification, or handling notes. It also commonly contains payment terms (e.g. carriage paid/forward) and references such as order or shipment numbers.
The consignment note can be issued on paper or electronically. Electronic versions are often referred to as the e-consignment note and can be processed in transport management systems (TMS), forwarding software, or platform solutions. Whatever the format, what matters is that the data is consistent, traceable, and available to the processes involved. In day-to-day operations, the consignment note is usually part of a document set that includes things like the delivery note, commercial invoice, or customs paperwork.
Use cases come up wherever goods are moved, handed over, or transshipped. They include classic groupage and full truckload traffic, national and international point-to-point transport, and multimodal transport chains involving several service providers. The consignment note supports handovers (e.g. pickup, hub, delivery), shipment identification when something goes wrong (e.g. shortages, damage), and administrative handling such as billing or claims.
In logistics processes, the consignment note acts as a connector between the physical flow of goods and the administrative flow of data. It helps tie a transport order clearly to a shipment and reduces room for interpretation at handovers. Especially in networks with multiple transshipment points or rotating service providers, standardized data helps create process certainty and reduce sources of error.
For e-commerce logistics, the consignment note is most relevant when shipments don't move as classic parcel or CEP shipments but as freight shipments — bulky goods, palletized goods, B2B deliveries, or two-person handling. In those cases, it's the foundation for arrival notifications, goods-receipt postings, and matching shipment data at the warehouse or with the recipient. In international supply chains, it's also often a building block for compliance and documentation, for example alongside customs or security processes.
The consignment note also matters for liability and proof. It can be used as a record when conditions or quantities have to be documented at handover. In practice, related notes (e.g. reservations for visible damage) are commonly recorded as part of handover and receipt processes. What legal effect this has in any given case depends on the applicable law, the document type, and the specific contract terms.
Contract of Carriage: The contractual basis for transport between the principal (e.g. sender) and the carrier, defining duties, services, and the liability framework.
CMR Consignment Note: The standardized consignment note for international road freight under the CMR Convention; captures key transport data and contract information.
Delivery Note: A goods accompanying document focused on the delivery and item lines; commonly used at goods receipt for quantity and item checks, separate from the transport contract.
Bill of Lading: A sea-freight document that, depending on its form, may carry both transport information and a right to dispose of the goods.
Air Waybill (AWB): The air-freight consignment note used to handle air shipments; contains shipment data, parties involved, and clearance information.
e-Consignment Note: The electronic form of the consignment note, created, transmitted, and processed digitally to support integration with IT systems.
Forwarding Order: An instruction to a forwarder to organize transport; can sit upstream of and feed into documents like the consignment note or transport order.
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