What is OCP insurance in road freight?
OCP insurance is a road carrier's own liability policy covering cargo loss or damage under national law or the CMR Convention's 8.33 SDR/kg cap.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
What does OCP insurance actually cover for a road carrier?
OCP insurance responds when a carrier's own fault, not the shipper's packaging or an ordinary transit risk, causes cargo loss or damage. On purely domestic Polish or Central European hauls, the policy rests on national civil-law liability rules. Once a shipment crosses a border under a CMR consignment note, the same policy typically extends to the CMR Convention's liability regime, capping exposure at 8.33 SDR per kilogram of the damaged goods, approximately 10 EUR/kg at mid-2026 IMF rates, a cap the CMR Convention has fixed since it was adopted in Geneva in 1956 ( UNECE, CMR Convention, Article 23 ).
Is OCP insurance mandatory for hauliers in Europe?
No single EU regulation names "OCP insurance" directly, but Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 requires every licensed road-transport operator to demonstrate financial standing, and proof of liability cover has become the commercial norm forwarders expect before booking a load ( EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) 1071/2009 ). Shippers increasingly write "valid OCP insurance" into contracts as a booking precondition, so a carrier without an active policy risks exclusion from tender lists. Carriers building volume by joining Logifie's carrier network typically hold OCP cover as standard.
Cover scope, though, differs by whether a carrier runs domestic-only or international lanes.
| National OCP | International OCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of cover | Domestic hauls only | Cross-border hauls under the CMR Convention |
| Governing liability basis | National civil code or transport law | CMR Convention Article 23, 8.33 SDR/kg cap |
| Typical buyer | Domestic-only fleets and last-mile hauliers | International and cross-trade carriers |
| Sum insured basis | Per-vehicle or per-load limit set by contract | CMR-capped liability plus any extension above the cap |
How is OCP insurance different from cargo (goods-in-transit) insurance?
OCP and cargo insurance protect different parties against different risks, a common contract-review confusion. OCP is the carrier's own liability policy: it pays because the haulier is legally responsible under national law or CMR. Cargo (goods-in-transit) insurance is typically bought by the shipper or forwarder and pays regardless of fault, covering gaps a carrier's CMR-capped liability does not reach, a distinction the International Road Transport Union treats as standard commercial practice ( IRU ). Read Logifie's full comparison of cargo insurance versus CMR liability cover . Fleets that track renewal proof using a TMS with document compliance tracking avoid a lapsed OCP certificate blocking a booking.
Frequently asked questions
Is OCP insurance the same as CMR insurance?
Not exactly. OCP is the broader Polish and Central European term for a carrier's civil liability policy, and for international hauls it operates under the CMR Convention, so "CMR insurance" usually describes the international-scope version of OCP.
What is the difference between national and international OCP insurance?
National OCP covers only domestic hauls under national civil-law liability rules, while international OCP extends to cross-border hauls under the CMR Convention, capping liability at 8.33 SDR per kilogram unless the carrier buys cover above that limit.
How much OCP coverage should a carrier hold?
Coverage should match the highest-value load a carrier realistically hauls, since the CMR cap of 8.33 SDR/kg can fall well short of a high-value shipment's true worth. Carriers running mixed lanes typically size the sum insured to their largest international consignment note.
Do freight forwarders require proof of OCP insurance before booking a carrier?
Many do, particularly on cross-border lanes, since a valid OCP certificate signals both regulatory compliance and financial standing under Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009. Forwarders increasingly request the certificate alongside the operator licence and CMR liability declaration.
Carriers ready to prove valid OCP cover to shippers can request a quote through Logifie and start moving loads on verified lanes.
