OREANDA-NEWS. IRU, the global road transport organisation, and TransFollow, the Netherlands-based innovative independent platform for electronic consignment notes built by, and for, the freight and logistics industry, are to build new communities, services and standards to drive paperless freight globally.

The new partnership will put TransFollow at the heart of IRU and its member associations, bringing the industry together elsewhere in Europe and beyond to make international paperless freight a reality.

“We have changed the traditional way of exchanging information for freight and logistics, by bringing the industry, its users and its suppliers together for everyone’s benefit”, said Ren? Bruijne, Managing Director of TransFollow.

An initiative of Dutch transport associations, and IRU members, TLN and EVO, TransFollow has over recent years become the standard provider of electronic consignment notes (CMRs) and digital proof-of-delivery in that country. 

The platform lowers costs, simplifies operations, improves security, and helps reduce carbon emissions for road transport, logistics and supply chain operators. 

The partnership between IRU and TransFollow aims to strongly contribute to building a new global standard for digitally exchanging freight data in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, accelerating acceptance of the electronic consignment note (eCMR) protocol of the UN’s convention on transporting cargo by road.

“Bringing the industry together to build an independent global standard for information exchange will deliver better visibility, transparency and efficiency in international supply chains” said Zeljko Jeftic, Head of Global Innovation at IRU. 

“We are finally making paper redundant for cargo, bringing road freight transport into the 21st century. We welcome cooperation with other stakeholders interested in developing global eCMR standards”, he added.