Logistical services play an increasingly important role in today’s trade. As a rule, logistical services involve a range of different services which include transportation between different countries and by different means of transportation, which demands knowledge about transportation law in an international context. In addition, logistical services also include a range of other services – not necessarily regulated by transportation law – which are of great importance to clients.
It is of great importance to ascertain the value of the transported goods.
A party which undertakes to provide services which include transportation can become legally liable for the services provided according to these rules.
A forwarding agent often undertakes different types of assignments, both transportation services as well as forwarding assignments. In recent years a new kind of actor which offers third party logistics – 3PL – has become available. These 3PL services often involve both transportation as well as affiliated services such as storage and logistics which do not involve transportation in any way and which entails that it can difficult to delineate between the various areas. There are also risks involved for those who provide third party logistics to undertake a uniform responsibility for their clients, due to the liability for transportation being mandatory.
In a legal context, multimodal transportation constitutes transportation which is formed by several types of modes of transportation all of which fall under one and the same transportation agreement. Multimodal transportation agreements do not quite fit into the set of regulatory laws concerning transportation law, in which each type of transportation is regulated by its own liability rules. This means that as a provider of multimodal transportation services, it can be difficult to predict what kind of liability will arise in the event of any damage to the transported goods. In addition, in practice rules differ from one European country to the next. In many ways it can be difficult to avoid this uncertainty, but with a robust agreement or general terms and conditions in place it is possible to at least fill the gaps in the existing legislation.
Our lawyers are experts in all kinds of transportation law, with expertise about the logistics industry including its opportunities and challenges. We assist business owners as well as suppliers of logistic services and forwarding agents, along with other interested parties in the transportation chain to safeguard their rights.
Advice regarding logistical services and multimodal transportation often goes hand in hand with other strategic advice, in which we work closely together with experts in other specialisms such as insurance law, EU and competition law, commercial contracts, employment law, rights of purchase and international trade.
We are the largest full-service provider in the country in the areas of business law and transportation law. Our firm can provide in-depth knowledge and bespoke advice in several practice areas. We provide assistance to companies across all kinds of industries.
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Counsel, Member of the Swedish Bar Association
