Why are European freight terms standardised across all EU member states?

European road freight terms are standardised under the CMR Convention — the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road, signed in Geneva in 1956 and ratified by all EU member states. The CMR establishes the same party names (consignor, consignee, carrier), document structures (CMR waybill), and liability rules across every international road freight movement in Europe. A Belgian shipper and a Polish haulier on the same consignment use identical freight terms because both are bound by the same international convention — the standardisation removes ambiguity at every border crossing.