Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport ("MOT") has issued the Domestic Waybill for the Intermodal Transport of Containers (Draft for Comment) (the "Draft for Comment") to seek opinions from the entities concerned by October 10, 2017.
The Draft for Comment provides for the format of domestic waybills for the intermodal transport of containers, information to be presented on such waybills, and operating procedures, and applies to the design and application of domestic waybills for the intermodal transport of containers. According to the Draft for Comment, information in four aspects should be indicated on these waybills, such as information about the parties concerned, goods to be transported, and the circulation of such goods. In particular, relevant information should be specified and completed by consignors, including describing the state of goods stored in containers, specifying the fact that containers are sealed up by carriers as entrusted if so, presenting the length, width and height of cumbersome goods, pointing out any change to the container transportation, and setting out relevant information about the management of containers and other special requirements. A consignor adopting the intermodal transport of containers should apply additional marks to all sealed up heavy containers to be loaded and fill in the waybill with numbers of these marks on heavy containers.