Status

MESSAGE TYPE: ITFMBF
REFERENCE DIRECTORY: D.01B
EANCOM® SUBSET VERSION: 003

Definition

A message from a party booking forwarding and/or transport services for a consignment to the party providing those services. The message will contain conditions under which the sender of the messages requires the services to take place.

Principles

The message is a single consignment message which can be used by all modes of transport for the forwarding and transport of goods from any origin to any destination, regardless of route or prevailing commercial practice.

A firm booking message is a commitment from the consignor to the carrier or forwarder to avail of certain services and is used for planning or operational purposes by the carrier or forwarder.

A firm booking message can be answered by a booking confirmation message.

A firm booking message may also be used to cancel a previously sent firm booking message.

A firm booking message can be replaced by a new firm booking message. It contains all relevant reservation data related to a consignment and it may be followed by a Transport Instruction message to finalise the contract.

In addition to the main principles detailed above, a number of general principles also apply:

- A consignment may contain several goods items.

- A consignment is identified by a consignors reference number (code CU) in the RFF segment.

- Goods items may or may not be containerised.

- Goods items may be transported in one or more containers, and a single container may contain one or more goods items.

- One goods item may be related to one or more customs tariff codes.

- Goods items related to one customs tariff code may be carried in one or more containers.

- Pre-carriage (advanced haulage) and/or on-carriage (destination haulage) of goods items or equipment within one booking or instruction may take place in different steps, each step specified with its own transport details group.

- Transport devices, which have the ability of powered movement on their own, are specified in the transport details group. Other load or transport devices are specified as equipment.

- Packaging for goods items can be expressed at up to three levels.

- A goods item consists of one or more despatch units that adhere to the same package type and goods description.

- A despatch unit is the unit of cargo that will be handled and to which an SSCC can be affixed.

Glossary

A number of generic transport terms are used in this specification, to be described as:

CONSIGNEE

The organisation (party) which has the intention to receive the goods.

CONSIGNOR

The party ordering transport, orders a carrier to collect goods for transportation.

CONSIGNMENT

A collection of goods items to be transported from one or many despatch locations to one or many delivery locations. (synonym: shipment).

CARRIER

The party contracted by the consignor or forwarder to transport goods.

DESPATCH LOCATION

The physical location from which goods for transport are shipped.

DELIVERY LOCATION

The physical location to which goods for transport are finally delivered.

EQUIPMENT

Material resources necessary to facilitate the transport and handling of cargo. Transport equipment does under the given circumstances not have the ability to move by its own propulsion (e.g. sea container, trailer, unit load device, pallet).

FORWARDER

The party contracted by the consignor to arrange to have the goods transported.

GOODS ITEM

A collection of products normally grouped together for transport purposes, e.g. 12 pallets of foodstuffs.

LINE ITEM

A specific product identified and defined for trade purposes, e.g. a case of flour containing 24 packets of 250 grams.

MODE OF TRANSPORT

The method of transport used for the conveyance of goods or persons, e.g. by rail, by road, by sea.

MEANS OF TRANSPORT

Der für den Transport von Gütern oder Personen eingesetzte Verkehrsträger, z. B. Flugzeug, LKW oder Schiff.

PLACE OF ACCEPTANCE

The place at which the responsibility of the carrier starts.

PLACE OF DELIVERY

The place at which the responsibility of the carrier ends.

TYPE OF MEANS OF TRANSPORT

The type of vehicle used in the transport process, e.g. wide body, tank truck, passenger vessel.

TYPE OF EQUIPMENT

The type of material used, e.g. 40 feet container, four way pallet, mafi trailer.