The international consignment note, digital and signed
When a load crosses a border, the document that travels with it is a CMR consignment note. The eCMR is that same consignment note, issued and signed electronically. In HARDMAN it runs through the same flow and the same screens as the DCA — with one step added: the signature.
The CMR consignment note is the document that governs the international carriage of goods by road, under the CMR Convention signed in Geneva in 1956.
An Additional Protocol agreed in Geneva in 2008 allows that consignment note to be issued, carried and signed by electronic means. Spain acceded to it in 2011.
An eCMR has the same legal value as the paper CMR. What changes is the medium, and the fact that each party's signature is captured electronically instead of on a printed sheet.
In HARDMAN the eCMR is not a separate product. It is the same digital document that your domestic loads already use, with the signature step switched on.
CMR Convention · Geneva, 1956 · Additional Protocol on the electronic consignment note, Geneva, 2008, acceded to by Spain and published in the BOE of 14 June 2011.
Who does it affect?
Shippers sending goods to or receiving them from another country
Carriers and logistics companies running international routes
Freight forwarders and logistics operators
Any agent in the chain that issues, signs or receives the consignment note
The rule is simpler than it looks: if your origin and your destination are in different countries, the document that travels with the load is a CMR, not a DCA.
DCA or eCMR: which one applies
You do not have to choose, and nobody on your team has to remember a rule. HARDMAN works it out for every load, on its own.
It compares the country of origin with the country of destination. Same country, the document is a DCA. Different countries, it is a CMR.
Nothing else changes it — not the type of goods, not the type of route. And because the type is worked out again every time the document is recalculated, an address change that moves the load across a border switches the document type by itself.
DCA
eCMR
Scope
Domestic transport: origin and destination in the same country
International transport: origin and destination in different countries
Governed by
Order FOM/2861/2012, and Law 9/2025, which makes it digital
The CMR Convention and its 2008 Additional Protocol on the electronic consignment note
Signature
Not required by law. HARDMAN can still capture one when you want the proof.
Part of the document. Sender, carrier, driver and consignee each sign their own box.
The PDF
Titled DCA, regenerated and attached to the load automatically
Titled CMR, regenerated and attached after every signature
In HARDMAN
Same flow, same screens, same notifications
Same flow, same screens, same notifications, plus the signature
Level 4 is an additional managed service for companies that want HARDMAN to support the daily operation more directly. It complements Level 3 by adding operational and administrative support around bookings, KPIs, communications, documentation, and daily coordination.
Administrative and operational support
Booking and slot coordination support
KPI follow-up
Communication support with suppliers, carriers, and customers
Digital documentation follow-up
Extra help when the company wants HARDMAN to manage more of the daily process
According to the HARDMAN model, the cost of implementation rises quickly to reach the entry level and then flattens. From Level 2 to Level 3, cost grows only around 50%, while operational value grows much more strongly.
Level 3 impact
Waiting time per truck: from 3.5 hours to under 15 minutes
Logistics team availability: +33%
Reduction in unpunctuality: −90%
Incremental cost over Level 2: around +50%
Estimated return: more than €12 saved for every €1 invested at Level 3
Every minute of waiting is a minute lost forever.
KPI Evolution
The change is not linear. Some KPIs may get worse at the beginning because the company starts registering and controlling more information. But when the company reaches Level 3, the operational value becomes much stronger.
KPI
Level 2
Level 3
Truck stay time
May increase
Drops sharply
Punctuality
No major change
Improves strongly
Administrative task time
Decreases
Decreases further
Average waiting time
Partial reduction
3.5h → under 15 min
Team availability
Slight improvement
+33%
Level 4 is an optional managed service layer that complements any of the levels above — it is not measured as a separate technical or compliance level.
The document is only the beginning.
The digitalization of the administrative control document is the small lever that can transform the whole organization. This is not only about complying with a law. It is about using the legal obligation as the starting point for a plant that works like a timed operation.
Do not just digitalize the document. Digitalize the operation.
This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Each company should confirm how the requirement applies to its operations.