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Reconsignment means changing the place of delivery while carriage is under way. Under Article 12 of the CMR Convention the sender holds the right of disposal until the second CMR copy reaches the consignee. A change requires a written instruction on the first copy, must be feasible, must not split the consignment, and the instructing party bears the costs.
Who controls the goods in transit
In practice, disputes about reconsignment almost always start with the question of whose order counts. The CMR Convention answers it clearly. The sender controls the goods from loading until the second copy of the consignment note is handed to the consignee, or until the consignee demands delivery at the place of destination. From that moment only the consignee can give instructions. There is one exception: if the sender has entered on the consignment note that the right of disposal belongs to the consignee from the time the note is drawn up, the consignee controls the goods for the whole journey. So the first step with any request to change the address is to look at the CMR: who the sender is, what has been entered in the relevant boxes, and whether the second copy has already been handed over.
How to change the delivery place legally
Article 12 sets conditions that must all be met. In practice it looks like this:
- A written instruction. The controlling party gives the new order in writing, and the new place of delivery is entered on the first copy of the consignment note, which is produced to the carrier.
- Feasibility. The order must be possible to carry out at the moment it reaches the person who is to execute it. A truck that has already been unloaded cannot undo the delivery.
- No splitting of the consignment. The instruction must not lead to the load being divided into parts delivered to different places.
- No harm to third parties. The change must not interfere with the normal working of the carrier and must not prejudice senders or consignees of other consignments on the same vehicle.
- Reimbursement of costs. The party giving the instruction covers the costs and damage arising from carrying it out: extra kilometres, a return leg, waiting time, a new delivery booking.
How to complete the document correctly and where such changes are entered is shown in our guide on filling in a CMR consignment note step by step.
The cost of changing the route
Reconsignment is not a free extra service, it is a change to the contract while it is being performed. The carrier is entitled to recover the costs that flow from it, and it is sensible to agree them before the instruction is executed rather than afterwards. Typical items are the additional mileage to the new delivery point, waiting time for a new slot, tolls on the changed route, and possibly an overnight stop for the driver when the change pushes unloading beyond the current day. A fair calculation and written confirmation of the amount protect both sides from a dispute at invoicing time.
The risk: delivery to the wrong hands
The most serious risk in reconsignment is not the cost but who finally takes possession of the goods. Article 12 paragraph 7 of the CMR Convention is blunt: a carrier who carries out an instruction without requiring the first copy of the consignment note to be produced is liable to the person entitled for any loss or damage caused thereby. Fraudsters feed on this mechanism: a phone call or an email impersonating the customer, a request to deliver to a different warehouse, and the goods vanish. That is why an instruction is verified at the source: a call back to a known number, email confirmation from the company domain, data matching the CMR. A driver who accepts a change of address over the phone from an unknown person exposes his employer to liability for the full value of the load. What to do when something does not add up at delivery is covered in our article on CMR reservations on delivery.
When the carrier may refuse
The carrier is not hostage to every instruction. It may refuse when the order is impossible to carry out at the moment it is received, when it interferes with the normal working of its business, when it prejudices other consignments on the same vehicle, or when it would split the consignment. The carrier must immediately notify the person who gave the instruction that it cannot be carried out. A refusal should therefore be prompt and documented, not silent: ignoring an instruction is the fast lane to a dispute over who is responsible for what happens to the goods next. You can find the full text of the Convention on our CMR Convention page.
The OTSL role
In our transports reconsignment follows a fixed procedure: a written instruction, verification of the authority and identity of the person giving it, pricing of the change before it is executed, and confirmation of the new delivery place with all parties. That turns a mid-route address change into a service instead of a risk. Contact us if your loads need flexible deliveries with document control you can trust.
Who holds the right to change the delivery address in transit?
The sender holds the right of disposal by default until the second copy of the consignment note is handed over to the consignee.
Step by step
- Check entitlement. Confirm that you hold the right of disposal before issuing any new delivery location.
- Prepare a written instruction. Enter the required delivery change directly onto the first copy of the consignment note.
- Assess feasibility. The carrier checks whether the requested modification can be executed without operational disruption.
- Confirm costs. Agree to cover any extra expenses resulting from the alteration of the delivery route.
- Execute delivery. The carrier provides the updated orders to the driver and delivers to the new destination.
Definitions
- Reconsignment: The change of the delivery location or consignee while carriage is under way.
- CMR Convention (Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road): An international treaty regulating the legal framework for road freight transport.
- Right of disposal: The entitlement to issue binding instructions to the carrier regarding the stopping or redirection of goods.
- Consignment note: A legal document confirming the contract of carriage and the receipt of goods by the carrier.
