GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Sep 9, 2026
Sub-carrier
A sub-carrier is the transport company engaged by a main carrier to physically perform a carriage that the main carrier has contracted to provide to the customer.
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Source: https://unece.org/transport/road-transport/cmr-convention
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Logistics Concept
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Definition & Explanation
A sub-carrier is the transport company engaged by a main carrier to physically perform a carriage that the main carrier has contracted to provide to the customer. Contractually the main carrier remains bound to the consignor and is liable for the sub-carrier's conduct as for its own; Article 3 of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) expressly states that the carrier is responsible for the acts and omissions of its agents and of any other persons whose services it makes use of for the carriage. This matters in practice for shippers: it is the main carrier, not the customer, who decides who actually performs the transport. Risks arising from working conditions, driver qualifications and insurance cover therefore shift into a chain the customer often cannot see. A sub-carrier should be distinguished from a successive carrier under Articles 34 et seq. CMR, who accedes to the same consignment note and thereby becomes a party to the contract.
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