Fraudulent theft of truck consignments (phantom carriers) Loss prevention tips	[German version]

4 Awarding of a contract

The transport contract may only be awarded after the reliability of the transport company has been checked by the customer. Transport contracts should only be awarded and accepted using the agreed channels of communication to the assigned communication partners.

If any discrepancies arise, an explanation must be requested from the transport company. If no plausible explanation is forthcoming, a different transport company should be selected.

If the contract is awarded using a freight exchange site, the safety measures recommended by the site should be used and implemented. If inadequate safety measures are recommended, the freight exchange site in question should be avoided. The reliability of the transport company must additionally be checked as described above prior to awarding the contract.

Subcontracting, i.e. when the transport company hands over the transport contract to a different transport company, the subcontractor, carries additional risks and should be avoided if possible. To minimize the risk of fraudulent theft of the goods being transported, the subcontractors should be subject to the same reliability checking as the transport companies. This should be stipulated in the transportation contract. If the transport company cannot guarantee that such a check will be performed, they should not be permitted to subcontract the transport contract. If contracts are awarded using freight exchange sites, subcontracting should never be permitted.

Specific time frames and an order number should be agreed for collecting and delivering the consignment. Furthermore, the transport company should provide the customer with the following data (advance shipping notice) in good time prior to collecting the consignment:

		full name of the driver, nationality, color copy of the driver’s personal identification documents,
		color copy of the driver’s driving license,
		official contact data (e.g. mobile phone number) for the driver, vehicle license number, state of registration and type designations of the means of transport, (e.g. semitrailer tractor unit of type sampleTractor 1234, AB-CD 1234, Germany / trailer type: SampleTrailer5678, EF-GH 9012, Germany),
		ccolor copy of the vehicle documents (vehicle identification number).

Any national statutory requirements with respect to data protection must be observed when personal data is collected.

Furthermore, the customer should draw up a consignment note compliant with § 408 of the German Commercial Code (HGB) or Article 6 of the Convention on the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR). This should include at least the following details:

		date of the consignment note and the place at which it was made out,
		a unique consignment note number,
		transport contract number,
		name and address of the sender,
		name and address of the carrier,
		vehicle registration number of the means of transport,
		name and address of the consignee,
		place and the date of taking over of the goods and the place designated for delivery,
		description of the goods and packaging,
		number of packages and their special marks and numbers,
		gross weight of the consignment,
		statement that trans-shipment is not allowed (if agreed,
		agreed time limit within which the carriage is to be carried out (if agreed).

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