What does CMR insurance cover and up to what amount is the carrier liable?

CMR insurance covers the carrier contractual liability for damaged, lost or delayed goods. It does not cover the full value of the goods, but a per-kilogram limit set by the CMR Convention. Below you see what that means in practice.

Short answer

CMR insurance covers the carrier liability, not the goods themselves.
The legal compensation limit is 8.33 SDR per kilogram of missing or damaged goods.
SDR is the International Monetary Fund unit of account, so the limit in euro varies with the exchange rate.
For high-value goods the per-kilogram limit does not cover the loss, so the consignor needs cargo insurance.
The carrier is exempt if it proves fault of the consignor, an inherent defect of the goods or a circumstance it could not avoid.

What the law says (in brief)

The CMR Convention, signed in Geneva in 1956, applies to international road carriage of goods and was ratified by Romania.
The 8.33 SDR per kilogram liability limit applies to the gross weight of the missing or damaged goods.
For delay, compensation is capped at the amount of the carriage charges.
Claims for visible damage are made at delivery; those for hidden damage within the short deadline set by the convention.
The limit can be exceeded if wilful misconduct or gross negligence of the carrier is proven.

Practical example

Example: a 400 kg pallet of electronics worth 40,000 euro is damaged in transit. At the 8.33 SDR per kilogram limit, CMR compensation is about 4,300 euro, that is under 11 per cent of the value of the goods. The difference stays with the consignor, unless separate cargo insurance was taken out.

Common mistakes

Believing CMR insurance covers the full value of the goods; it only covers the per-kilogram limit.
Signing the consignment note at unloading without recording reservations about the condition of the goods.
Not taking photographs at loading, so you cannot prove the damage predated the trip.
Accepting contract clauses that extend liability beyond the convention limit, with no matching cover in the policy.
Notifying the insurer after the deadline and losing the right to compensation.

How 4transports helps

The CMR register keeps each consignment note linked to its trip, with the declared cargo and weight.
The insurance expiry date sits on each vehicle; you can note the CMR policy deadline in the vehicle notes.
4transports does not collect photos, signatures or GPS position at delivery; you keep photo evidence separately.