Trade and transport go hand in hand. For us as a firm operating in the Euroregion, international transport is an important focus area. Transport law provides frameworks for transport agreements, with international road carriage agreements governed by the CMR Convention and domestic transport agreements by Book 8 of the Dutch Civil Code. In the Netherlands, the sector is regulated by the Carriage of Goods (Road Transport) Act (Wet wegvervoer goederen), with provisions for permits, overloading and consignment notes, among other things.

TRANSPORT LAW IS MANDATORY LAW
Much of transport law has obligatory force. That is to say, transport agreements between parties are not valid if their provisions conflict with the CMR Convention or the Dutch Civil Code. Transport law contains stipulations for carriers’ liability and the use of consignment notes. It also clarifies the distinction between forwarding agents and carriers.

GENERAL TRANSPORT CONDITIONS
Aspects not covered in the CMR Convention or the Dutch Civil Code can be arranged by the transport parties (sender and carrier) themselves through their transport agreement, for instance via general terms and conditions. Most commonly used for this purpose are the General Conditions of Transport 2002 (AVC 2002).