Haulage companies and their customers in The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg are no longer required to use paper waybills for transport within the Benelux. In collaboration with colleagues in Belgium and Luxembourg Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen (Infrastructure and Water Management) has just launched a three-year trial of digital waybills in the region.
Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen: “The Netherlands is a trading nation. A great deal of freight transport crosses our borders with our neighbors to the south. Digital waybills make crossing the border easier, safer and cheaper for freight. This will also save € 80 million per year in administration costs for Dutch companies.”
Important! This trial must be part of a wider initiative towards the use of digital waybills throughout Europe.
Until now a paper document was always required regarding the loading of a delivery truck. It has not previously been possible to use a digital waybill (e-CMR) in The Netherlands. To participate in this trial, freight companies must work with software from a recognized provider. The trial must be part of a wider initiative to use digital waybills throughout Europe. It is of great importance to the Dutch transport industry that other countries such as Germany, Italy and Austria accept digital waybills in the future.
Cheaper and safer
In The Netherlands alone some 40 million waybills are used each year. The transfer to a digital waybill system would save transport firms and their clients around € 4,50 per waybill. The chance of making errors on a digital waybill is also lower than with paper. The information is stored centrally and can be requested and accessed at any time.
Environmental sustainability and more insight into cargo
Switching to digital waybills is great news for the environment as it will save around 600 trucks full of printed paper each year. It also enables possibilities for track & trace, with which customers can see the location of their shipment at any given moment. In this way they can adjust their planning appropriately. Another advantage is that emergency services can quickly identify the contents of trucks. In the event of an emergency they can immediately ascertain if there are hazardous materials present.
Source: Rijksoverheid.nl
