BILL OF LADING

Types of Bill of Lading

Combined Transport Bill of Lading or Combiconbill

(See also the comments made by Bimco by clicking here)

The combined transport bill of lading or COMBICONBILL covers transport from door-to-door by several modes of transport. It is usually used by liner companies who want to offer a full service to their customers by carrying their goods from door to door (and mainly in containers).

Combined transport is the combination of at least two types of transport in a uniform transport chain that does not involve the changing of transport units. Most of the journey is by rail, inland waterways or sea and any initial and/or final legs carried out with road transport are kept as short as possible. Where the means of transport are changed, individual consignments do not need to be reloaded.
Combined transport is broken down into accompanied and unaccompanied combined transport. See also : http://www.sz-tovornipromet.si/en/types_of_transport/combined_transport/

Combined transport is a specific application of intermodal transport in which the proportion of road transport is kept as short as possible, mostly to and from the nearest (mostly rail) intermodal terminal.

In combined transport, freight is carried in containers, swap bodies, trailers or semi trailers and the loading unit is lifted onto rail wagons for the next leg of their journey.

The advantage of combined transport is that freight can go on trains as unaccompanied cargo and be picked up at the end of the rail journey. In this way, the cargo travels long distances without interruption. Also, there may be concessions available for vehicles taking combined transport to and from rail terminals on weight limits, such as those existing in the United Kingdom prior to the lifting of restrictions on 44 tonne lorries for general traffic in 2001.

In order to encourage new services using combined transport, the European Commission introduced a funding mechanism under the Pilot Action for Combined Transport (PACT). This mechanism is being replaced by the Marco Polo Programme.

The European trade association for combined transport is the International Union of Combined Road-Rail Companies - UIRR. See also: http://www.haguidetofreight.co.uk/IndustryStructure/id260.htm

The combined transport operator (CTO) takes responsibility for the goods throughout the entire journey.

See the face of the Conbiconbill:

"The MTO, in accordance with and to the extend of the provisions contained in this MT Bill of Lading, and with liberty to sub-contract, undertakes to perform and/or in his own name to procure performance of the multimodal transport and the delivery of the goods, including all services related thereto from the place and time of taking the goods in charge to the place and time of delivery and accepts responsibility for such transport and such services".

Clause 1, Applicability, of the Conbiconbill states that notwithstanding the heading "Combined Transport", the provisions set out and referred to in the Bill of Lading shall also apply, if the transport as described in this Bill of Lading is performed by one mode of transport only. The combined transport bill of lading may, consequently also be used for direct shipment or port to port shipment.

The combined transport bill of lading can be issued as a negotiable bill of lading or as a non negotiable bill of lading.

Click here to see a worked out model of a conbiconbill.

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