3. Can the responsibilities of the various parties involved be combined or delegated?

Each person or company involved in a shipping process can combine the functions of several people, or subcontract their function to another person or company. In such cases, it is up to the individual or company to ensure that the substitute or subcontractor is fully aware of his or her responsibilities, is competent to carry them out, and does everything in his or her power to ensure that they are carried out in accordance with regulations.

Generally speaking, the shipper is the organizer of the entire shipment. He may delegate all or part of the shipment, for example to a freight forwarder, but, like the head of the establishment as defined by the French Labor Code, he retains an obligation of result in terms of safety. In the event of an accident during the process, the shipper will be directly and systematically held responsible. It will then be up to him to...