General Terms and Conditions
SMS Global Group
1. About SMS Global Group
SMS Global Group consists of various subsidiaries and affiliated companies providing international freight forwarding, managed transportation services, warehousing, contract logistics, cross-docking and related supply chain solutions.
Each SMS Global Group company is a separate legal entity. The company identified in the relevant quotation, order confirmation, service agreement, invoice, or other contractual communication is the contracting company and is solely responsible for the services it agrees to provide.
The applicable terms and conditions depend on the contracting company, the services provided and any written agreement entered into with the customer.
The applicable terms and conditions are identified on this page and are available for consultation and download free of charge before an agreement is concluded.
All quotations, offers, order confirmations, agreements and services of the relevant SMS Global Group company are subject to the applicable terms and conditions identified on this page, unless that company and the customer have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.
A reference to “SMS Global Group” on this page is descriptive only and does not create joint, several, group or parent-company liability between any SMS Global Group companies.
2. Capacity in Which Services Are Provided
2.1. Freight Forwarding Services
The following companies provide freight forwarding services:
- SMS Global Logistics B.V. (The Netherlands)
- SRT Europe B.V. (The Netherlands)
- SMS Global Forwarding GmbH (Germany)
- SMS Global Logistics UK Ltd (United Kingdom)
- SMS Global Logistics SPRL (Belgium)
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in a separate written agreement signed by an authorized representative of the relevant contracting company, each of these companies acts solely as a freight forwarder and not as a carrier.
The relevant contracting company undertakes to arrange, coordinate, procure or manage transportation and related logistics services through independent third-party carriers, subcontractors, agents, warehouse operators and other service providers and does not undertake carriage of the goods itself.
The issue of a transport document, house transport document, shipment label or other operational document by the contracting company shall not, by itself, constitute acceptance of carrier liability.
2.2. Managed Transportation Services
ShipTimized B.V., trading as SMS Global MTS, provides transportation management, carrier procurement, shipment management, shipping optimization, freight auditing and related managed transportation services.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, ShipTimized B.V. acts as a freight forwarder and managed transportation services provider and not as a carrier.
Transportation is arranged through independent third-party carriers. ShipTimized B.V. undertakes to arrange, coordinate, procure and manage transportation services and does not undertake carriage of the goods itself.
The use of a transportation management platform, shipping portal, carrier procurement program, shipment management system, tracking functionality, freight audit service, invoice consolidation service or other managed transportation service shall not, by itself, constitute acceptance of carrier liability.
The issue of a transport document, shipment label, shipment report, carrier invoice or other operational document by ShipTimized B.V. shall not, by itself, constitute acceptance of carrier liability.
2.3. Warehousing, Contract Logistics and Cross-Docking
SPL Logistics B.V. provides warehousing, fulfilment, contract logistics, value-added logistics and cross-docking services.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, SPL Logistics B.V. acts as a logistics service provider and warehouse operator and not as a carrier.
Transportation arranged as part of a logistics solution is performed by independent third-party carriers.
3. Applicable Terms and Conditions
| Contracting Company | Services | Applicable Conditions |
| SMS Global Logistics B.V. | Freight Forwarding | Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 |
| SRT Europe B.V. | Road Freight Forwarding | Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 |
| ShipTimized B.V. (SMS Global MTS) | Managed Transportation Services | Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 |
| SMS Global Forwarding GmbH | Freight Forwarding | German Freight Forwarders’ Standard Terms and Conditions 2017 (Allgemeine Deutsche Spediteurbedingungen 2017 (ADSp 2017)) |
| SMS Global Logistics UK Ltd | Freight Forwarding | BIFA Standard Trading Conditions 2025 |
| SMS Global Logistics SRL | Freight Forwarding | General Belgian Freight Forwarding Conditions 2024 (Algemene Belgische Expeditievoorwaarden 2024 / Conditions Générales Belges d’Expédition 2024) |
| SPL Logistics B.V. | Warehousing, Contract Logistics, Fulfilment and Cross-Docking | Logistics Services Conditions (Logistieke Services Voorwaarden) 2014 |
The above conditions apply subject to the jurisdiction and dispute resolution provisions stated below.
Except as expressly stated on this page, all other provisions of the applicable terms and conditions remain fully applicable.
4. Governing Law, Jurisdiction and Exclusion of Arbitration
Any arbitration clause, arbitral forum, arbitral jurisdiction provision or other dispute resolution mechanism contained in the applicable terms and conditions is expressly excluded and replaced by the exclusive jurisdiction provisions set out below.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, the following courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction:
| Contracting Company | Governing Law | Exclusive Jurisdiction |
| SMS Global Logistics B.V. | Dutch law | District Court of Midden-Nederland, The Netherlands |
| SRT Europe B.V. | Dutch law | District Court of Midden-Nederland, The Netherlands |
| ShipTimized B.V. (SMS Global MTS) | Dutch law | District Court of Midden-Nederland, The Netherlands |
| SPL Logistics B.V. | Dutch law | District Court of Midden-Nederland, The Netherlands |
| SMS Global Forwarding GmbH | German law | Competent courts of Frankfurt am Main, Germany |
| SMS Global Logistics UK Ltd | Laws of England and Wales | Competent courts of England and Wales |
| SMS Global Logistics SRL | Belgian law | Competent courts of Liège, Belgium, including the Enterprise Court of Liège where applicable |
Except for arbitration and dispute resolution provisions expressly excluded above, all liability limitations, exclusions of liability, defenses, indemnities, rights of lien, retention rights, limitation periods and time bars contained in the applicable terms and conditions shall remain fully applicable.
5. Downloads
SMS Global Logistics B.V.
- Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 –>download toevoegen
SRT Europe B.V.
- Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 –>download toevoegen
ShipTimized B.V. (SMS Global MTS)
- Dutch Forwarding Conditions (Nederlandse Expeditievoorwaarden), 1 May 2018 –>download toevoegen
SMS Global Forwarding GmbH
- German Freight Forwarders’ Standard Terms and Conditions 2017 (Allgemeine Deutsche Spediteurbedingungen 2017 (ADSp 2017)) –>download toevoegen
SMS Global Logistics UK Ltd
- BIFA Standard Trading Conditions 2025 –>download toevoegen
SMS Global Logistics SRL
- General Belgian Freight Forwarding Conditions 2024 (Algemene Belgische Expeditievoorwaarden 2024 / Conditions Générales Belges d’Expédition 2024) –>download toevoegen
SPL Logistics B.V.
- Logistics Services Conditions (Logistieke Services Voorwaarden) 2014 –>download toevoegen
6. Contact
SMS Global Group
Leisteen 9
2132 ME Hoofddorp
The Netherlands
Email: legal@smsglobal-group.com
