Freight forwarding and shipping: waybills, Incoterms, and customs
How the hydraulic system works — and how it fails
If you choose the forwarding and shipping specialty, you enter a trade where a single incorrect document can stop an entire shipment at customs. Your task is to coordinate the transport of goods between sender, carrier and recipient — often across borders — and this requires control of both international conventions and standardized terms of trade.
§CMR waybill: evidence and contract in one
For international road transport in Europe a CMR consignment note is typically used. The CMR Convention — named after the French designation for the convention on international road transport of goods — establishes the common rules for what a consignment note should contain and who bears responsibility for delay loss or damage to the goods in transit. The consignment note functions both as a transport contract between sender and carrier and as proof of what was agreed.
- 01CMR waybill documents the agreement on transport of goods
- 02It establishes responsibility in case of delay, loss or damage
- 03It is used for international road transport in Europe
- 04Correct completion is crucial to avoid disputes along the way
§Incoterms: who has the responsibility when?
Incoterms are international trade terms issued by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), most recently updated in Incoterms 2020. They clearly set out how costs, responsibility and risk are divided between seller and buyer in a trade. With EXW (Ex Works), the seller only has responsibility for making the goods available at their own address — everything else is the buyer's responsibility. At the other end is DDP (Delivered Duties Paid), where the seller bears full responsibility all the way to the buyer, including customs on import. In between are terms such as FCA and DAP, as well as sea freight terms such as FOB and CIF, where risk typically transfers when the goods are on board the ship.
| Incoterm | Seller's responsibility |
|---|---|
| EXW | Minimal — just having the item ready for pickup |
| FCA | Deliver the product to the carrier, arrange export |
| DAP | Deliver the product to the agreed destination |
| DDP | Maximum — delivered ready for import, incl. customs |
| FOB / CIF | Responsibility for the goods is on board the ship (maritime freight) |
§Documents that get goods through customs
For goods to pass borders and customs quickly, a number of documents must be in order: the agreed Incoterm, the company's EORI and CVR number, a commercial invoice, a packing list and possibly origin documents. If even one of these is missing, a shipment can be delayed for days while the papers are put in order — something a professional forwarder always works to avoid.
§Your role as an office apprentice in freight
As an apprentice in shipping and forwarding you learn to fill out shipping documents correctly keep track of which Incoterm applies to a given order and gather the right documentation before goods are sent. It is a trade where details and timing are inextricably linked — a forgotten signature or wrong product number can stop an entire container at the border.
“In freight forwarding, paperwork is not a minor part of transport — it is what makes the transport succeed.”