Carriage of goods

Introduction
Historical development
Characteristics of carriage
- Common-law common carrier
- Civil-law public carrier
- Duties and liabilities of carriage
  - Liability for safety of the goods
  - Limitations of liability
Components of the carriage of goods
- Delay and misdelivery
- Diversion and reconsignment; stoppage in transit
- Dangerous goods
- Carriage by two or more carriers
- Carrier’s liens
- Carrier’s role as warehouseman and bailee
- Measure of damages
- Bills of lading
- Freight or forwarding agents
- Mixed-carrier transportation
National and international regulation
- Roads, railways, and inland waterways
- Sea carriage
- Air carriage
- Other international agreements

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, from the 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy.

lampoon of Interstate Commerce Commission

Related Questions

How can a bill of lading provide evidence of a contract of carriage?
How can a warehouse receipt be transferred to create a security interest in stored goods?
How can faulty packing by a shipper affect a carrier's liability for damaged goods?
How can using another carrier without permission breach a carriage contract?
How did Roman law treat the responsibility of shipowners for passengers' goods?
How did the English law of bailment influence the law of carriage of goods?
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How do the Berne Conventions regulate international railway transportation of goods?
How do the Hague Rules define the responsibilities of maritime carriers?
How does a civil-law carrier's privilege on goods differ from a common-law lien?
How does a common-law carrier's lien help secure payment of freight charges?
How does a shipped-on-board bill of lading differ from a received-for-shipment bill of lading?
How does a voyage charter relate to a bill of lading?
How does a warehouse receipt differ from a bill of lading?
How does a warehouseman's liability for goods differ from a carrier's liability?
How does an inherent vice in goods affect responsibility for cargo damage?
How does the law of carriage of goods govern relationships between carriers, shippers, and consignees?
How is deviation from an agreed route treated in common-law carriage cases?
What does force majeure mean in contracts for the carriage of goods?
What information is usually included in a bill of lading?
What is a carrier's lien on goods?
What is misdelivery in the carriage of goods?
What responsibilities does a charterer have under a bareboat charter?
What role does a freight forwarding agent play in moving goods through several carriers?
When is a bill of lading treated as the contract of carriage itself?
When is a carrier treated as a warehouseman rather than as a carrier?
When may a carrier refuse to transport goods offered for shipment?
When may a carrier sell goods to collect unpaid freight charges?
Which events count as excepted causes that can excuse a carrier from liability under common law?
Who has the burden of proving a carrier's negligence after an excepted cause damages goods?
Why are common carriers subject to stricter economic regulation than contract carriers?
Why are violent acts by strikers or rioters not considered acts of enemies of the crown?
Why can a maritime carrier be liable if a ship was not seaworthy?
Why does a statement that goods were shipped in apparent good order matter to an endorsee?
Why is a carrier's contractual liability sometimes called an obligation of result?

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External Websites

Indian Institute of Materials Management - Law of Carriage of Goods

Carriage of goods

law

Written by

A.N. Yiannopoulos

Eason-Weinmann Professor of Law, Tulane University, New Orleans. Author of Civil Law Property and others.

A.N. Yiannopoulos

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 31, 2026 •History

Carriage of goods, in law, the transportation of goods by land, sea, or air. The relevant law governs the rights, responsibilities, liabilities, and immunities of the carrier and of the persons employing the services of the carrier. Until the development of railroads, the most prominent mode of transport was by water. Overland transportation of goods was relatively slow, costly, and perilous. For this reason, the law governing carriage of goods by sea developed much earlier...

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