The sender is the party that dispatches a freight shipment — the business or individual who hands cargo to a carrier for transport. The receiver is the party at the destination who takes delivery. In European road freight, the sender is formally called the consignor and the receiver is formally called the consignee — both roles appear on every CMR consignment note, waybill, and commercial invoice.
What are the alternative names for sender and receiver in freight?
The sender is referred to as the consignor, shipper, or exporter depending on the document type and transport mode — the receiver is referred to as the consignee, recipient, or importer across the same range of freight documentation.
UN/ECE Combined Transport Terminology confirms the triple equivalence: shipper, consignor, and sender all describe the same dispatching party. The terminology shifts by document type — the CMR consignment note uses consignor and consignee as the formal party names; a Bill of Lading uses shipper and consignee; a commercial invoice uses seller or exporter for the dispatching party and buyer or importer for the receiving party. The same two roles appear across every document in the chain — only the label changes.
The terms consignor, consignee, and freight carrier are all part of the European freight terms vocabulary that appears across CMR notes, Bills of Lading, and commercial invoices in every cross-border shipment.
At delivery, the receiver signs the proof of delivery — the document that confirms the consignment reached the named consignee in the condition described on the CMR consignment note.
What are the sender's responsibilities in European road freight?
The sender is responsible for accurate cargo declaration, correct packaging, loading instructions, and complete shipping documentation — and carries legal liability for damage or delay caused by errors in any of these.
The sender declares the cargo description, weight, dimensions, and value on the CMR consignment note before the carrier collects. Inaccurate declaration — incorrect weight, undeclared hazardous material, or wrong commodity description — creates sender liability for any resulting damage, customs delay, or carrier penalty. Packaging is the sender's responsibility: damage caused by inadequate packing is the sender's liability under CMR, not the carrier's, even when the carrier physically handled the goods at every stage of transit.
Under CMR Article 12, the sender holds one operational right during transit — the right to stop the shipment and redirect it to a different destination address before the consignee takes delivery. This right transfers to the consignee once the receiver requests the carrier to hand over the goods at the original destination.
What are the receiver's rights at delivery?
The receiver has the right to inspect cargo at delivery and to note visible damage reservations on the CMR consignment note before signing — this right is the receiver's primary protection for freight claims.
Under CMR Article 30, if the receiver accepts delivery without noting reservations on the CMR document, the cargo is presumed delivered in the condition described on the consignment note. Damage claims become harder to pursue after unconditional acceptance — the CMR presumes correct delivery once the consignee signs without reservations. Visible damage must be noted on the CMR at the moment of delivery before the driver leaves the facility. Concealed damage — damage not visible at delivery but discovered after unpacking — must be reported to the carrier in writing within 7 days of delivery to preserve the right to claim.
Every road freight customs document set for cross-border shipments includes the CMR consignment note — the document on which the receiver records damage reservations before signing, and on which the carrier countersigns to confirm delivery conditions.
Is Go Trans the sender or the receiver?
Go Trans is neither the sender nor the receiver — Go Trans is the logistics broker that arranges the carrier on behalf of the sender, coordinating collection, documentation, and delivery without taking title to the goods at any point.
In every Go Trans shipment, the sender is the Go Trans customer dispatching cargo from their facility — the consignor named on the CMR. The receiver is the destination business or individual specified by the sender at the point of booking — the consignee named on the same document. Go Trans matches the consignment to the correct carrier — DHL, DPD, DSV, UPS, or FedEx — coordinates collection, and confirms documentation before departure. Go Trans does not appear as consignor or consignee on any freight document.
The how it works process at Go Trans follows three steps — the sender books the consignment, Go Trans selects and dispatches the carrier, and the carrier collects from the sender's address and delivers to the named consignee. Further freight terminology is covered across the logistics glossary.