Lexikon

Delivery deadline

A delivery deadline is the period within which the goods are to be delivered. Under the CMR rules for road carriage, it is based on the agreed period or, if none was agreed, on a reasonable carriage time.

Kurz erklärt

For carriage performed by a carrier within the meaning of section 425 UGB, a delivery deadline sets the point by which the goods should arrive at the agreed place of delivery. It may result from the contract of carriage, the transport order or agreed transport conditions. There is no single statutory period that applies to every carriage of goods.

For international carriage of goods by road under the CMR, Article 19 is decisive. The delivery deadline is exceeded if the goods are not delivered within the agreed period. If no period was agreed, the relevant question is how long a careful carrier should reasonably have needed in the circumstances. The delivery deadline is therefore the agreed or reasonable time frame; a delivery delay is the failure to meet that time frame.

The assessment normally requires the transport order, agreed dates, proof of taking over and delivery, and any circumstances that affected the carriage. The page on delivery delay and carriage obstacles explains the consequences of late delivery. The topics on CMR and the transport contract and cross-border carriage of goods provide further context.