Paper consignment notes are being phased out across Europe. The electronic CMR (eCMR) will take their place under the EU’s paperless-freight initiative, and by July 2027 all national authorities must accept digital transport documents via certified platforms. Industry stakeholders expect the transition to accelerate throughout 2026.
The European Commission is pushing to make paperless freight transport a reality across the EU. But while the legal framework is largely in place, the rollout of the electronic consignment note (eCMR) remains uneven, and hauliers still face uncertainty over when and how their cross-border operations will need to adapt.
The legal foundation for paperless freight lies in the electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) Regulation (EU 2020/1056), adopted to ensure that public authorities across the EU can exchange transport information digitally.
From 9 July 2027, national authorities will be required to accept freight documentation in electronic form via certified eFTI platforms, a decisive step towards eliminating paper from international road transport, according to the Commission’s Mobility and Transport Directorate-General (DG MOVE).
This eFTI framework will also enable the wider use of the electronic consignment note, or eCMR, which replaces the traditional paper CMR document used to confirm a transport contract. The eCMR is governed by an Additional Protocol to the CMR Convention, in force since 2011, but its use has been held back by missing technical rules and the absence of a common EU platform.
Why 2026 keeps coming up While the Commission’s own regulatory deadline points to 2027, many in the transport sector still cite 2026 as the key turning point. A 2024 report by CargoON titled Deep Dive into eCMR suggests that industry stakeholders expect 2026 to mark the start of large-scale implementation, with 2029 as the point of full adoption.
“The primary obstacle to the implementation of eCMR in Europe is the absence of EU regulations that establish consistent, aligned standards and criteria for the certification of digital platforms,” said Małgorzata Wieleba-Walicka, legal counsel at the Polish employers’ association Transport i Logistyka Polska (TLP), in the report. “Implementation into national law is scheduled for 2026, with mandatory application following in 2029.”
For now, these dates reflect industry expectations, not formal EU deadlines. Still, they show how much confidence operators place in the current regulatory momentum.
Interoperability: the missing piece Even with a legal framework in place, the biggest technical hurdle remains interoperability – the ability of different systems to communicate.
As Raluca Marian, director of the IRU’s delegation to the European Union, noted in a 2023 statement report, “one of the key challenges currently limiting the adoption of eCMR is the lack of interoperability between the various stakeholders involved in the service.”
She added at the time that the forthcoming eFTI rules will make interoperability a requirement, obliging technology providers to align their systems and data formats.
The eFTI (electronic Freight Transport Information) Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 and its delegated and implementing acts set out the standards for how transport information is to be exchanged digitally within the EU. They define how electronic freight data must be structured, transmitted and certified, and ensure that all Member State authorities can access it through approved eFTI platforms.
In practice, these rules create a single digital framework for freight documentation, enabling carriers, shippers and inspectors to use the same electronic data across borders.
Once the eFTI delegated and implementing acts, which entered into force in January 2025, are fully applied, every certified platform will have to meet the same standards. From July 2027, national authorities will be required to accept electronic freight information through these certified systems, marking the end of the paper era for international road transport.
Europe moves at different speeds Across the continent, progress varies widely. The report highlights that France, Spain and the Netherlands already use eCMR domestically, while Ireland, Austria and Croatia have yet to establish active projects. Belgium has joined pilots with its Benelux partners but lacks full operational deployment.
This uneven rollout means that roadside inspections and administrative acceptance of eCMR can still differ from one country to another: a key practical concern for international hauliers.
“Following a lengthy legislative process, we have successfully negotiated an agreement with the public administration,” said Ramón Valdivia, vice-president of Spain’s road transport association ASTIC. “However, there is no certainty that the French gendarme inspection will be conducted in accordance with the same procedures as the one in Spain.”
According to the UNECE register, 36 European countries have so far signed the eCMR Protocol. Yet accession alone does not guarantee that law enforcement officers or customs agents can process digital documents in daily operations.
What the shift means for hauliers For carriers, the transition to eCMR will bring both simplification and new responsibilities.
- Document management: once the system is in place, proof of delivery will be confirmed digitally and available to all parties in real time.
- Administrative burden: the IRU estimates that the switch could save 75–102 million working hours annually across Europe – equivalent to up to 50,000 full-time administrative jobs.
- Payments and cash flow: with electronic confirmation of receipt, invoices can be issued immediately, potentially reducing waiting times from months to weeks.
- Inspections: drivers will need to be prepared to present eCMR data on mobile devices, with some corridors still requiring paper copies during the transition phase.
Industry bodies urge hauliers to start preparing now: by training drivers, updating back-office systems, and selecting software providers likely to be certified under the eFTI framework.
Beyond compliance: efficiency and sustainability The benefits go beyond faster paperwork. The European Commission estimates that digital freight documentation could eliminate around 160 million paper sheets per year, aligning the shift with EU climate and sustainability goals.
At company level, eCMR also supports better route planning and real-time visibility, helping carriers and shippers improve fleet utilisation and reduce empty runs.
Next steps By mid-2026, Member States are expected to have national systems ready to connect to the EU’s digital logistics environment. The mandatory acceptance of electronic freight data from July 2027 will make eCMR an operational reality in most international transport corridors. Full industry alignment, however, may take longer, with many experts seeing 2029 as the point when paper CMRs finally disappear from European logistics.
Until then, hauliers will operate in a hybrid world: one foot in the digital future, the other still riffling through paper.
