Debt recovery · Czechia and Slovakia
Recovery of freight charges
The customer accepted the carriage but has not paid the invoice, or unilaterally reduced it for damage nobody has proved against you. We recover unpaid freight charges for carriers and forwarders, for domestic transport and international carriage under the CMR Convention. Watch the deadlines. In carriage under the CMR Convention, claims including freight charges generally become time-barred after just one year, substantially sooner than ordinary commercial invoices.
- Lawyer registered with both Czech and Slovak Bars
- We monitor limitation periods for you
- Fees agreed in advance
What we'll do for you
Two things matter in transport: whether you have evidence that carriage was completed and whether the limitation period is still running. We assess both at the outset and explain whether recovery makes sense before any costs arise.
Select an item to see the details.
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Assessment of the claim and limitation
We review the order, CMR consignment note and invoice, establish when the claim became due and calculate the limitation period. For international carriage, we apply the CMR Convention; for domestic carriage, national law.
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Letter before action
A legally substantiated lawyer's demand calculating freight charges, default interest and fixed compensation for recovery costs. Some customers pay at this stage.
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Defence against set-off of damages
If the customer has set off cargo damage, we check whether it was properly claimed and proved, and whether you are liable under the CMR Convention or national law. Unilateral set-off of disputed damage is common and far from always justified.
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Court recovery
If agreement is impossible, we bring a claim, including identifying the competent court for international carriage. Where the evidence is clear, we can also use summary proceedings.
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Enforcement
With an enforceable title, we proceed to enforcement and monitor recovery until the money reaches your account. One firm handles Slovak and Czech debtors.
Deliverablefreight charges recovered with default interest, out of court, through litigation or enforcement
How it works
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- You send the documentsday 0
Email the transport order, CMR consignment note and invoice. We promptly confirm whether the claim is time-barred, what can be recovered and what it will cost.
- Demand to the customer
We claim the freight charges, including interest and costs, and negotiate payment.
- Claim
If the demand is insufficient, we bring a claim in Slovakia, Czechia or according to the jurisdiction arising from the contract of carriage.
- Payment
If the debtor still does not pay after the judgment, we proceed to enforcement; we monitor any instalment agreement until payment in full.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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Or email us about this matter.
What clients ask
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How long do I have to recover freight charges?
For international road carriage under the CMR Convention, substantially less time than is usual for ordinary commercial invoices. Under Article 32 of the Convention, claims arising from carriage, including freight charges, generally become time-barred after one year. For domestic carriage in Slovakia, freight charges are generally subject to the general four-year limitation period under § 397 of the Commercial Code; the one-year period under § 399 applies only to claims against the carrier or forwarder for damage to the consignment and delayed delivery. In Czechia, domestic freight charges are subject to the general three-year limitation period (§ 629(1) of the Czech Civil Code). We calculate the precise period for your carriage at the initial assessment, so do not delay sending the documents.
The customer deducted cargo damage from our freight charges. Can they do that?
Unilateral set-off of disputed damage against freight charges is common in transport, but far from always justified. The damages claim must be properly made and proved, and you must be liable for it; for international carriage, the CMR Convention's limits also apply. We check whether the set-off stands. If not, we pursue the full invoice, including interest.
Do you also recover damages for damaged or lost consignments?
No. We focus on unpaid freight charges, ensuring the carrier is paid for completed carriage. Claims for damage to the consignment itself often involve amounts for individual journeys where recovery costs exceed what can actually be recovered, so we do not handle them. If damage has been set off against your freight charges, that is different: we handle it because it concerns your invoice.
The customer is in Czechia, or conversely in Slovakia. Is that a problem?
No, that is precisely our area. A lawyer registered with both Czech and Slovak Bars recovers on both sides of the border through one firm, without transferring the file to another lawyer or a second invoice. For international carriage, we also identify the competent court, which is often a separate question under the CMR.
We have several such invoices. Can they be handled together?
Yes, and it is generally worthwhile. Unpaid freight charges are typically recurring work. Send us the list of debtors in a CSV file or system export and we process it in bulk. See Bulk debt recovery for more.
What does recovery of freight charges cost?
The price depends on the amount claimed and whether a demand resolves the matter or it ends up in court. We confirm it in advance and honour the agreement. If successful, the debtor will generally also reimburse the costs of legal representation, but only to the extent of the statutory scale of lawyers' fees, which may differ from the agreed price.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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An international freight invoice has a six-month payment term. When is the claim time-barred under CMR?
Generally after one year. For freight charges, the limitation period starts three months after the carriage contract was concluded, not when the invoice falls due: with a six-month payment term, it is already running long before you can send a reminder. A time-barred CMR claim cannot even be raised by counterclaim or defence, so decide when to sue by reference to the contract date, not payment reminders.
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We drive a van with a trailer abroad. Do we need a tachograph from 1 July 2026?
Very probably yes. If the vehicle's maximum permissible mass, including any trailer, exceeds 2.5 tonnes and you carry goods across borders, it must have a second-generation smart tachograph from 1 July 2026. The driver must observe driving times, breaks and rest periods as truck drivers do. The new extension for combinations over 2.5 and up to 3.5 tonnes applies to international transport and cabotage. Above 3.5 tonnes, domestic journeys may also be covered; statutory exemptions must always be assessed. At an inspection, the relevant records for the inspection day and the preceding 56 days must be produced.
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What do we need for a road haulage operator authorisation for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes?
The district office in the regional capital grants road transport operator authorisation for ten years if the undertaking proves four requirements under Regulation (EC) No. 1071/2009: an effective and stable establishment in Slovakia, good repute of statutory representatives and the transport manager, financial standing comprising equity of at least EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle and EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, and the appointed transport manager's professional competence verified by examination. Transport to other EU countries additionally requires a Community licence and evidence of it in every vehicle.
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Further reading
Freight charges from a foreign customer: where to sue under the CMR Convention, under which law and how to enforce the judgment
A Slovak carrier has performed carriage abroad and the customer from another state is not paying. The CMR Convention gives it a wider choice of courts than an ordinary commercial contract, including the court of the state where the goods were loaded. We explain how to choose the court, which law governs interest and how the judgment is enforced in the debtor's state.
Read more →
The customer deducted damage from the freight charges: when set-off in CMR carriage does not stand up
The carrier invoices the carriage and the customer pays less, having set off alleged damage to the consignment. We explain what the customer must prove in international carriage under the CMR Convention, what reservations had to be made, how large the damage may at most be and why the set-off may also founder on limitation.
Read more →
A Czech company with a Slovak debtor: four rules that work differently in Slovakia
A Czech company recovering an invoice in Slovakia naturally proceeds on Czech habits. Slovak law, however, ties costs to a pre-action demand differently, regulates the debtor's defence against a payment order differently, allocates the enforcement officer differently and calculates accessories differently. An overview for creditors from Czechia before the first step.
Read more →