RHA Conditions of Carriage 2020
Road Haulage Association Limited
CONDITIONS OF CARRIAGE 2020
Effective 1 September 2020
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CUSTOMER WILL NOT IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES BE ENTITLED TO COMPENSATION, OR TO FULL COMPENSATION, FOR ANY LOSS AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN
OBLIGATIONS AND INDEMNITIES. THE CUSTOMER SHOULD THEREFORE SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE AS TO APPROPRIATE INSURANCE COVER TO BE MAINTAINED WHILE CONSIGNMENTS ARE IN TRANSIT.
(hereinafter referred to as “the Carrier”) is not a common carrier and accepts goods for
carriage only upon that condition and on the conditions set out below (the Conditions). No
servant or agent of the Carrier is permitted to alter or vary these Conditions in any way unless
expressly authorised to do so in writing by a Director of, Principal of, or Partner in the Carrier,
or by another person separately authorised by such a person in writing. If any provision or
part provision of these Conditions is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable, it shall be
deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal and enforceable.
If such modification is not possible, the relevant provision or part provision shall be deemed
deleted. Any modification to or deletion of a provision or part provision under this clause
shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of these Conditions. These
Conditions apply to the Contract to the exclusion of any other terms that the Customer seeks
to impose, have agreed or incorporate, and to the exclusion of any terms which might be
implied by trade, custom, practice or course of dealing. It is expressly stated to be the
Customer’s responsibility to read and understand these Conditions which will form the basis
of the Contract under which any claims or disputes are settled. Customers are recommended
to take professional advice and must arrange adequate insurance to provide full cover for
the Consignment, and any liabilities they may be under in respect of it, when the
Consignment is in transit.
1. Definitions
In these Conditions:
“Customer” means the person or company who contracts for the services of the Carrier,
including any other carrier who gives a Consignment to the Carrier for carriage.
“Contract” means the contract of carriage between the Customer and the Carrier.
“Consignee” means the person or company to whom the Carrier contracts with the Customer
to deliver the Consignment.
“Consignment” means goods whether sent as a single item or in bulk or contained in one
parcel, package or container, as the case may be, or any number of separate items, parcels,
packages or containers sent at one time in one load by or for the Customer from one
address to one address.
“Dangerous Goods” means those substances and articles the carriage of which are
prohibited by the provisions of the European Agreement Concerning the International
Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) as applied in the United Kingdom, or permitted
to be carried only under the conditions prescribed therein, as well as all other substances
and articles of a nature or having characteristics which represent a hazard or danger to
persons or property, or which include any radioactive or explosive material.
“Demurrage” means any cost or expense the Carrier suffers as a result of the improper,
excessive or unreasonable detention of any vehicle, trailer, container or other equipment
belonging to or under the control of the Carrier.
“Force Majeure Event” shall have the meaning set out in Condition 10(2)(c)
“In writing” includes, unless otherwise agreed, the transmission of information by electronic,
optical or similar means of communication, including, but not limited to, facsimile, electronic
mail or electronic data interchange (EDI), provided that the information is readily accessible
and durable so as to be usable for subsequent reference.
2. Parties and Sub Contracting
(1) The Customer warrants that he is either the owner of the Consignment or is
authorised by the owner to accept these Conditions on his behalf; and that he is
similarly authorised by all those having a proprietary or possessory interest in the
Consignment, to accept these Conditions on their behalf.
(2) The Carrier and any other carrier employed by the Carrier may employ the services
of any other carrier for the purpose of fulfilling the Contract in whole or in part;
and the name of every other such carrier shall be provided to the Customer upon
request. The Carrier may at any time assign, mortgage, charge, delegate, declare
a trust over or deal in any other manner with any or all of its rights and obligations
under the Contract, to the extent permitted by law.
(3) The Carrier contracts both for itself and also as agent of and trustee for its servants
and agents and all other carriers referred to in (2) above, and also as agent of and
trustee for such other carriers’ servants and agents; and every reference in these
Conditions to “the Carrier” shall be deemed to include every other such carrier,
servant and agent with the intention that they shall have the full benefit of the terms
of this Contract, and collectively and together with the Carrier shall be under no
greater liability to the Customer or any other party than is the Carrier hereunder.
(4) Notwithstanding Condition 2(3), the carriage of any Consignment by rail, sea, inland
waterway or air has been or will be arranged by the Carrier solely as agent of the
Customer, and any such carriage shall be subject to the conditions of the rail,
shipping, inland waterway or air carrier contracted to carry the Consignment. The
Carrier shall be under no liability whatsoever, howsoever caused, to any person for
such carriage: Provided always that where the Consignment is carried partly by road
and partly by such other means of transport any loss, damage or delay shall be
deemed to have occurred while the Consignment was being carried by road unless
the contrary is proved by the Carrier.
3. Dangerous Goods
If the Customer does not disclose in writing and in advance that a Consignment contains
Dangerous Goods, the Carrier shall be entitled to rescind the Contract. If the Carrier agrees to
accept for carriage any Dangerous Goods so disclosed then the Customer must arrange for and
ensure that the Dangerous Goods are classified, packed, marked, labelled and documented in
accordance with all applicable statutory regulations for the carriage by road of the substance
declared.
4. Loading and Unloading
(1) Unless otherwise agreed in writing the Customer will be responsible for the loading
of goods onto the vehicle and will also be responsible for the Consignee unloading
the goods off the vehicle. The Carrier will not be responsible for any loss or damage
to the goods arising from loading the goods onto or unloading them off the vehicle,
or from the overloading of the vehicle or from the unsafe loading of the vehicle. The
Carrier may, at its sole discretion, through its servants and agents provide assistance
in loading or unloading the goods if requested to do so by the Customer or the
Consignee or the agents of either. The Customer shall indemnify the Carrier from and
against all and any loss, damage, death or injury that may arise whilst the loading or
unloading operations is taking place whether or not such loss, damage, death or
injury is attributable to the negligence of the Carrier, its agents or servants.
(2) The Customer shall ensure that any cranes, fork lift trucks, slings, chains or other
equipment used in loading or unloading the vehicle are suitable for that purpose and
will indemnify the Carrier against any and all consequences of failure of or
unsuitability of such equipment.
(3) The Customer shall ensure that there is adequate access to the loading and the
unloading points and that the roadways to and from the public highway are of
suitable material and that unloading will take place on good sound hardstanding,
where there will be sufficient space to load or unload the vehicle in safety.
(4) The Carrier shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever, howsoever
caused, if the Carrier’s personnel are instructed by the Customer or the Consignee or
their servants or agents to provide service to an area which does not comply with
Condition 4(3) above, whether or not against the recommendations of the Carrier
or the Carrier’s personnel.
(5) The Customer shall indemnify the Carrier against all liability or loss or damage
suffered or incurred (including but not limited to damage to the Carrier’s vehicle) as
a result of the Carrier’s personnel complying with the instructions of the Customer or
the Consignee or their servants or agents.
(6) The Customer shall make available to the Carrier upon request details of any risk
assessments which may have been carried out at the collection and/or delivery
addresses. The responsibility for carrying out such risk assessments shall be that of
the Customer and not of the Carrier.
5. Obligations of the Customer
The Customer warrants that:
(1) The Consignment does not and will not: cause pollution of the environment or harm
to human health; require any official consent or licence to handle, possess, deal with
or carry; at any time whilst in the care or control of the Carrier constitute waste
(unless the Carrier has been previously advised otherwise); and that the
Consignment is of a nature that can be legally transported in the United Kingdom;
(2) It will comply, and will procure that all of its agents, employees and sub contractors
also comply, with any reasonable regulations of the Carrier relating to handling,
health and safety, and security, of which they are notified or have been notified; and
(3) It will provide the Carrier with such information and materials as the Carrier may
reasonably require in order to comply with its obligations under the Contract, and
will ensure that such information is complete and accurate in all material respects.
RHA membership number
(4) If the Carrier's performance of any of its obligations under the Contract is
prevented, hindered or delayed by any act or omission of the Customer or by any
failure by the Customer to perform any relevant obligation (Customer Default),
then:
(a) without limiting or affecting any other right or remedy available to it, the
Carrier shall have the right to suspend performance of its obligations until
the Customer remedies the Customer Default, and may rely on the
Customer Default to relieve it from the performance of any of its obligations
in each case to the extent the Customer Default prevents, hinders or delays
the Supplier's performance of any of its obligations;
(b) the Carrier shall not be liable for any costs or losses sustained or incurred by
the Customer arising directly or indirectly from the Carrier's failure to
perform or delay in performing any of its obligations as set out in this
Condition 5(4); and
(c) the Customer shall on written demand reimburse the Carrier for any costs
or losses sustained or incurred by the Carrier arising directly or indirectly
from the Customer Default.
6. Signed Receipts
The Carrier shall, if so required, sign a document or electronic record prepared by the
Customer or its agent acknowledging the receipt of the Consignment; but the burden
of proving the condition of the Consignment and/or its nature, quantity, quality, or
weight at the time of that receipt shall rest with the Customer.
7. Transit
(1) Unless otherwise agreed expressly between the parties, transit shall commence
after the Consignment has left the premises from where the Consignment is
collected.
(2) Transit shall (unless it has terminated earlier) end when the Consignment arrives
at the proper place of delivery at the Consignees address within the customary
cartage hours of the district, provided that:
(a) if no safe and adequate access to that address exists, or if no safe and
adequate unloading facilities exist there, then transit shall be deemed to end
at the expiry of one clear day after notice (by letter, telephone, fax or email
or other agreed method of communication) of the arrival of the
Consignment at the premises has been sent to the Consignee or the
Customer;
(b) when for any other reason whatsoever a Consignment cannot be delivered,
or when a Consignment is held by the Carrier on instructions to await order
or to be kept till called for or upon any like instructions, and no such order
is given within a reasonable time, or the Consignment is not called for and
removed within a reasonable time, then transit shall also be deemed to end
at the expiry of that reasonable time.
(3) The Consignment shall be at the sole risk of the Customer at all times when the
Consignment is not in transit.
8. Undelivered or Unclaimed Consignments
Where either of the provisos to Condition 7(2) operate such that transit is deemed to
have ended, the Carrier may sell the Consignment; and payment or tender of the
proceeds of sale to the Customer, after deduction of all proper charges and expenses
in relation thereto and of all outstanding charges in relation to the carriage and storage
of the Consignment, shall discharge the Carrier from all liability in respect of such
Consignment, its carriage and storage:
Provided that:
(1) the Carrier shall do what is reasonable to obtain a reasonable price for the
Consignment; and
(2) the power of sale shall not be exercised where the name and address of the
Customer or of the Consignee or of the owner of the Consignment or of any other
person having any proprietary or possessory interest in it is known; unless the
Carrier shall first have done what is reasonable in the circumstances to give notice
to such persons that the Consignment will be sold unless within the time specified
in that notice, being a reasonable time in the circumstances from the giving of
such notice, the Consignment is taken away or instructions are given for its
disposal.
9. Carrier’s Charges
(1) The Carrier’s charges shall be payable by the Customer, without prejudice to any
rights the Carrier may have against the Consignee, or any other person, to secure
or obtain payment: Provided however that when any Consignment is consigned
carriage forward the Customer shall not be required to pay such charges unless
the Consignee shall, within a reasonable period of demand for payment having
been made of it, have failed to pay the Carrier’s charges.
(2) Charges shall be payable when due without deduction or deferment on account
of any claim, counterclaim or set off. If the Customer becomes insolvent, or any
sums owed by the Customer to the Carrier become overdue for payment, all
credit terms previously agreed shall be cancelled with immediate effect and all
invoices and accounts issued by the Carrier shall be deemed due for immediate
payment and all sums owing (whether due or not) shall thereupon become
payable. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, as amended,
shall apply to all sums due from the Customer.
(3) The Carrier shall use reasonable endeavours to obtain a signed proof of delivery of the
Consignment from the Consignee, unless otherwise agreed with the Customer. No
payment shall however be withheld by the Customer where the Carrier is unable to
provide a proof of delivery unless notification of non delivery is received by the Carrier
no more than 48 hours after the expected time of delivery of the Consignment and the
Carrier is subsequently unable to evidence proof of delivery.
(4) The Customer shall pay to the Carrier any storage charges incurred as a result of it
exercising its lien in accordance with clause 15 below.
(5) If the Contract is cancelled at any time the Customer shall pay the Carrier all costs and
expenses which the Carrier has incurred prior to such cancellation.
10. Liability for Loss and Damage
(1) The Customer shall be deemed to have elected to accept the terms set out in sub
clause (2) of this Condition unless, before the transit commences, the Customer has
agreed in writing that the Carrier shall be under no liability for loss of, or mis delivery
of or damage to or in connection with the Consignment, howsoever or whensoever
caused, and whether or not caused or contributed to, directly or indirectly, by any act,
omission, neglect, default or other wrongdoing on the part of the Carrier, its servants,
agents or sub contractors.
(2) Subject to these Conditions the Carrier shall be liable for:
(a) physical loss, mis delivery of or damage to living creatures, bullion, money,
securities, stamps, precious metals or precious stones comprised within the
Consignment only if:
(i) the Carrier has specifically agreed in writing to carry any such items; and
(ii) the Customer has agreed in writing to reimburse the Carrier in respect of all
additional costs which result from the carriage of the said items; and
(iii) the loss, mis delivery or damage is occasioned during transit and is proved
to have been caused by the negligence of the Carrier, its servants, agents or
sub contractors;
(b) physical loss, mis delivery of or damage to any goods of a type not covered by
sub clause (a) above comprised within the Consignment, unless the same has
arisen from a Force Majeure Event.
(c) a “Force Majeure Event” shall mean any act(s), event(s), circumstance(s) or
cause(s) the occurrence of which is beyond the reasonable control of the Carrier,
including but not limited to:
(i) act of God, riot, civil commotion, strike, lockout, general or partial stoppage
or restraint of labour from whatever cause, war, act of terrorism, seizure or
forfeiture under legal process, restraint of government;
(ii) error, act, omission, mis statement or misrepresentation by the Customer
or the owner of the Consignment or by any servant or agent of either of
them;
(iii) inherent wastage in bulk or weight, faulty design, latent defect or inherent
vice or natural deterioration of the Consignment;
(iv) any special handling requirements in respect of the Consignment which
have not been notified to the Carrier;
(v) insufficient or improper packaging, labelling or addressing, unless the
Carrier has contracted to provide this service;
(vi) fire, flood, storm, earthquake, pandemic, or epidemic;
(vii) road congestion, road accidents, delays incurred at any delivery location or
lack of delivery instructions from the Customer, vehicle breakdown;
(3) The Carrier shall not in any circumstances be liable for any loss or damage arising after
transit is deemed to have ended within the meaning of Condition 7(2) hereof, whether
or not caused or contributed to, directly or indirectly, by any act, omission, neglect,
default or other wrongdoing on the part of the Carrier, its servants, agents or sub
contractors.
11. Fraud
The Carrier shall in no circumstances be liable in respect of a Consignment in relation to which
there has been fraud on the part of the Customer, the Consignee or the owner of the
Consignment, or their servants or agents, unless the Carrier or of any servant of the Carrier acting
in the course of his employment has been complicit in that fraud.
12. Limitation of Liability
(1) Except as otherwise provided in these Conditions, the liability of the Carrier in respect
of claims for physical loss of, mis delivery of or physical damage to goods comprised
within the Consignment, howsoever arising, shall in all circumstances be limited to the
lesser of
(a) the value of the goods actually lost or mis delivered, at the place they should have
been delivered; or the amount by which damaged goods have been depreciated
in value by reason of that damage; or
(b) the cost of replacing the goods actually lost or mis delivered and/or
reconditioning or repairing any damage to the goods; or
(c) a sum calculated at the rate of £1,300 Sterling per tonne on the gross weight of
the goods actually lost, mis delivered or damaged;
and the value of the goods actually lost, mis delivered or damaged shall be taken
to be their invoice value if they have been sold, and shall otherwise be taken to
be their replacement cost to the owner at the commencement of the transit, and
in all cases shall be taken to include any Customs and Excise duties or taxes paid
or payable in respect of those goods when lost, mis delivered or damaged:
Provided that:
(i) in the case of loss, mis delivery of or damage to a part of the
Consignment, the weight to be taken into consideration in determining
the amount to which the Carrier’s liability is limited shall be only the
gross weight of that part, regardless of whether the loss, mis delivery
or damage affects the value of other parts of the Consignment;
(ii) nothing in this Condition shall limit the liability of the Carrier to less
than the sum of £10;
(iii) the Carrier shall be entitled to proof of the weight and value of the
whole of the Consignment and of any part thereof lost, mis delivered
or damaged;
(iv) the Customer shall be entitled to give to the Carrier notice in writing,
to be delivered at least seven days prior to commencement of transit,
requesting that the £1,300 per tonne limit referred to in Condition
12(1)(c) above be increased (but not so as to exceed the value of the
Consignment) and in the event of such notice being given the Customer
shall be required to agree with the Carrier an increase in the carriage
charges, but if no such agreement can be reached the aforementioned
£1,300 per tonne limit shall continue to apply.
(2) The liability of the Carrier in respect of claims for any other type of loss, liability
or damage whatsoever and howsoever arising in connection with the
Consignment shall not exceed the amount of the carriage charges in respect of
the Consignment or the amount of the claimants proved loss, whichever is the
less, unless:
(a) at the time of entering into the Contract with the Carrier, the Customer
declares to the Carrier a special interest in the avoidance of physical loss,
mis delivery or damage to the Consignment, and/or a special interest in
delivery within a specified period, undertaking to pay such surcharge,
referable to the declared value of that interest or those interests, as may be
agreed with the Carrier, and
(b) at least 7 days prior to the commencement of transit the Customer has
delivered to the Carrier confirmation in writing of the declared value of any
special interest and of any agreed time limit, and of its agreement to pay the
specified surcharge which it has agreed with the Carrier.
(3) The Carrier shall not be in breach of the Contract nor liable for any delay in
performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under the Contract if such
delay or failure results from a Force Majeure Event.
(4) The following types of loss or damage are wholly excluded, and will not under any
circumstances be the subject of compensation by the Carrier:
(a) loss of profits;
(b) loss of sales or business;
(c) loss of agreements or contracts;
(d) loss of anticipated savings;
(e) loss of use of, or corruption of, software, data or information;
(f) loss of or damage to goodwill;
(g) indirect or consequential loss;
(h) any fine imposed on the Customer by the Consignee or its customer.
13. Indemnity to the Carrier
The Customer shall indemnify the Carrier against:
(1) all losses, liabilities and costs incurred by the Carrier (including but not limited to
those incurred in connection with loss of or damage to the carrying vehicle or to
other goods carried) as a result of any breach of these Conditions by the Customer
or any party on whose behalf it has contracted, or by reason of any error,
omission, mis statement or misrepresentation by the Customer or owner of the
Consignment or by any servant or agent of either of them, or by reason of
insufficient or improper packing, labelling or addressing of the Consignment, or
by reason of fraud on the part of the Customer, the Consignee or the owner of
the Consignment, or their servants or agents (as referred to in Condition 11);
(2) all losses, liabilities and costs arising from claims and demands by whomsoever
made and howsoever arising (including, for the avoidance of doubt, claims
alleging negligence or conversion, or by H.M. Revenue and Customs in respect of
dutiable goods, or arising out of the carriage of Dangerous Goods) in respect of
any loss of or damage to, or in connection with, the Consignment in an amount
exceeding the liability of the Carrier under these Conditions in respect of that loss
or damage, whether or not that loss or damage was caused or contributed to,
directly or indirectly, by any act, omission, neglect, default or other wrongdoing
on the part of the Carrier, its servants, agents or sub contractors.
14. Time Limits for Claims
(1) The Carrier shall not be liable for:
(a) physical loss of, mis or non delivery of, or physical damage to goods comprised
within the Consignment unless advised thereof in writing within seven days after
the termination of transit or the date on which the transit should have
terminated;
(b) any other type of loss unless advised thereof in writing within twenty eight days
after the termination of transit or the date on which the transit should have
terminated.
Provided that if the Customer proves that,
(i) it was not reasonably possible for the Customer to advise the Carrier or
make a claim in writing within the time limit applicable, and
(ii) such advice or claim was given or made within a reasonable time after the
time at which it did become reasonably possible for the Customer to advise
the Carrier or make a claim in writing,
the Carrier shall not have the benefit of the exclusion of liability afforded by this
Condition.
(2) The Carrier shall in any event be discharged from all liability whatsoever and
howsoever arising in respect of the Consignment unless legal proceedings are issued
and notice in writing thereof given to the Carrier within one year of the date when
transit commenced.
(3) In the computation of time where any period provided by these Conditions is seven
days or less, Saturdays, Sundays and all statutory public holidays shall be excluded.
15. Lien
(1) The Carrier shall have:
(a) a particular lien on the Consignment for all charges due to the Carrier for the
carriage, storage and/or warehousing of the Consignment and for all other proper
charges or expenses incurred in connection with the carriage of the Consignment,
and
(b) a general lien on the Consignment for any sums overdue and unpaid by the
Customer, by the owner of the Consignment or by any other person having any
proprietary or possessory interest in it, by the Consignee, or by any agent of these
persons, on any invoice, account or contract whatsoever.
If the Carrier exercises a lien, but appropriate payment is not made within 14 days
after notice that the payment is due has been given in accordance with Condition 8(2)
above, the Carrier may sell the Consignment, or any part thereof, as agent for its owner
and for those having a proprietary or possessory interest in it, and shall apply the
proceeds towards any sums unpaid and towards the expenses of the retention,
storage, insurance and sale of the Consignment and shall, upon accounting to the
Customer for any balance remaining, be discharged from all liability whatsoever in
respect of the Consignment.
(2) The Carrier may exercise its lien on its own behalf or as agent for any assignee of its
invoices at any time and at any place in its sole discretion, whether or not the
contractual carriage has been completed, and these Conditions shall continue to apply
during the period of exercise of such lien.
(3) If the Consignment is not solely the property of the Customer, the Customer warrants
that it has the authority of all those having a proprietary or possessory interest in the
Consignment to grant to the Carrier liens as set out in Condition 15(1) above, and the
Customer shall indemnify the Carrier for all claims and demands the Carrier may
receive asserting that the Customer did not have that authority.
16. Unreasonable Detention
The Customer shall be liable to pay Demurrage, without prejudice to any rights that the Carrier
may have against any other person in respect of any improper, excessive or unreasonable
detention of any vehicle, trailer, container or other equipment belonging to or under the control
of the Carrier.
17. Confidentiality
(1) Each party undertakes that it shall not at any time disclose to any person any
confidential information concerning the business, affairs, customers, clients or
suppliers of the other party, except as permitted by these Conditions.
(2) Each party may disclose the other party's confidential information:
(a) to its employees, officers, representatives, sub contractors or advisers who need
to know such information for the purposes of carrying out the party's legal
obligations; and
(b) as may be required by law, a court of competent jurisdiction or any governmental
or regulatory authority.
18. Law and Jurisdiction
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the Contract and any dispute arising under it or in connection
with it shall be governed by English law and each party irrevocably agrees that such dispute shall
be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
© Road Haulage Association Limited 2020
