I fill in a lot of cmrs in my job as im sure so do a lot of you.
Ive been told im doing it wrong.
Box number 1 on the top left. Ive always written the address of the place where im collecting the freight from.
I`ve been told its the exporters address that needs to go in this box e.g i load in potters bar but its on behalf of joe bloggs.
Joe bloggs (even though its hundreds of miles from potters bar) should go in box 1?
Can anyone clarify this please?
Thanks, jon
Thanks neil. thats the way i`ve always done it but it dont always mean its right does it.
It’s the address of the sender/shipper which goes in box 1, which could be nowhere near the pick up location and somewhere you may not actually go to…
Joe Bloggs Ltd. in Birmingham have sold, and are shipping, 24 pallets of widgets to a customer in Germany and they ask you to pick up the pallets from John Smith (Widgets) Ltd. in Coventry. In this case it’s Joe Bloggs details which go in box 1, but you would put Coventry, GB in box 6 (box 3 on new model CMR).
Thanks coffee. So i have been doing it wrong. I stand corrected
Coffeeholic:
It’s the address of the sender/shipper which goes in box 1, which could be nowhere near the pick up location and somewhere you may not actually go to…
i spent a good thirty minutes explaining that to a couple of polish customs officials last summer, I had a load of frozen beef heading from kristianstad, sweden to piraeus, greece, but box 1 said helsinki,finland and box 2 was somewhere in italy iirc…
milodon:
Coffeeholic:
It’s the address of the sender/shipper which goes in box 1, which could be nowhere near the pick up location and somewhere you may not actually go to…i spent a good thirty minutes explaining that to a couple of polish customs officials last summer, I had a load of frozen beef heading from kristianstad, sweden to piraeus, greece, but box 1 said helsinki,finland and box 2 was somewhere in italy iirc…
So a firm in Helsinki had sold a load of beef to an Italian company. The Finns had bought the beef from Sweden and wanted it collecting from there and the Italians had sold it to someone in Greece and wanted it delivered there, cor look at that it’s just like a common market. 
Seems fairly obvious, but not obvious enough to Polish customs. 
That’s why there is box 1 for the shipper, box 4 for the Consignee (box 2 on new model CMR), box 6 for the place of taking over the goods (box 3 on new model CMR) and box 8 (box 4 on new model CMR) for the place of delivery. Box 1 and 6/3 can be different places as can boxes 4/2 and 8/4.
A customer such as Exxon Mobil will probably make out the CMR or Frachtbrief to show the load came from the US of A when it was loaded from tank farm in Antwerp, even the receiver worked out that I had not come self drive with it, many customers would try to refuse loads if you didn’t tell them where it was loaded.
The CMR has changed over the years and the French now allow a universal CMR, the box numbers do not mean as much, the UK CMR only had 24 boxes while the Euro CMR had more
Wheel Nut:
The CMR has changed over the years and the French now allow a universal CMR, the box numbers do not mean as much, the UK CMR only had 24 boxes while the Euro CMR had more
You’re right and the box numbers have changed now as well. Box 2 is now for the consignee, box 3 is for place of taking over goods and box 4 for delivery.
Christ, that’s changed quite a bit, thanks for the heads up. I’d probably have ruined atleast one CMR when I start work latter this week 
Johny Johny Johny. I’m supprised that a man of your calibra needs to ask this question. But yes they are right. If you look at the box there is a clue where it says Senders address or words to that effect. Then consignees address, then another clue in the next box, Place, date and country Of Taking Over Goods or words to that effect. Without having a CMR infront of me I can’t remember the exact wording. Anyway John, good to here that your back with us on the road, and look forward to bumping into you sometime. Look out for my posts as I will pop up every now and then just to keep you old school on your toes. Take care.
It’s a fair cop I’ve been doing it wrong for coming up to 15 years .
I’m glad I asked now. It just goes to show we’re always learning on this job.
(Moldova dave… You know me but I can’t place you? Mustapha? Or maybe d.k?)
Mustapha!!! Mustapha!!! You cheeky git! And I’m deffinately not D.K. Right ball park though
Well, I’m another 1 thats been doing it wrong or when I or an office has done it right, it’s caused loads of questions!