# road freight carrier

*Last updated: 2026-06-26*

> A road freight carrier is the company that actually moves goods by road, operating its own trucks or other road vehicles under a contract of carriage.

A road freight carrier is the company that actually moves goods by road, operating its own trucks or other road vehicles under a contract of carriage. The carrier assumes direct liability for the goods throughout transit and holds the operating licence required by law. This distinguishes the road freight carrier fundamentally from a freight forwarder: the forwarder arranges and coordinates shipments – often through subcontracted carriers – but does not physically transport the goods itself. In European road transport, cross-border operations require a Community licence for the commercial carriage of goods by road.

**Source:** [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1071](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1071)

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | road freight carrier |
| Language | EN |
| Word count | 93 |
| Last updated | 2026-06-26 |
| Source | https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1071 |

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*Logistics Glossary — Freight Academy: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/road-freight-carrier](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/road-freight-carrier)*

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*JSON summary: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/glossary/road-freight-carrier/llm-summary?lang=en](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/glossary/road-freight-carrier/llm-summary?lang=en)*