A carrier is a person who undertakes as a business to transport goods or passengers for freight.

Claims for damages for loss, damage or delay in the transportation of goods are extinguished by prescription if not exercised within one year from the date of the ending of the transportation, or from the date when the ending of the transportation ought to have taken place.
Claims for damages for injury or delay in the transportation of passengers are extinguished by prescription if not exercised within two years from the date of the ending of the transportation, or from the date when the ending of the transportation ought to have taken place.

If required by the carrier, the sender shall make and issue to him a bill of transportation.
A bill of transportation shall contain the following particulars and be signed by the sender:
(1) The name and address of the sender;
(2) The kind of goods sent, their quality and quantity, and the kind, number and marking of the packages;
(3) The place of destination;
(4) The name and address of the consignee;
(5) The place where and the time when the bill of transportation is made out.

If required by the sender, the carrier shall make and issue to him a bill of lading after receiving the goods of delivery.
The bill of lading shall contain the following particulars and be signed by the carrier:
(1) Those mentioned in section 1, 2, 3, and 4 or the preceding article.
(2) The amount of freight, and whether it is paid by the sender or is to be paid by the consignee.
(3) The place where and the time when the bill of lading is made out.

The sender shall supply the carrier with the documents which are necessary for the transport of the goods or required by the tax officials and police authorities, and furnish the necessary information to that effect.

When a bill of lading has been supplied to the sender the facts concerning the carriage as between the carrier and the holder of the bill are determined by the tenor of the bill of lading.

Even though a bill of lading has been made out to a named consignee, it may be transferred by endorsement to another person, except endorsement is forbidden in the bill.

The delivery of the bill of lading to a person entitled to accepting the goods has the same effect, as regards the transfer of the ownership of the goods, as delivery of the goods themselves.

The provisions of Article 618-1 shall apply to the bill of lading.

The consignee shall, on his requesting the delivery of goods, surrender the bill of lading.

If the goods are of such a nature as are likely to cause injury to persons or property, the sender shall declare their nature to the carrier before making the contract of carriage, failing which he shall be liable to make compensation for any injury caused thereby.

The goods shall be transported within the agreed time; in the absence of such agreement, custom shall rule; and in the absence of such agreement or custom, transportation shall be done within a reasonable time.
In determining what a reasonable time is as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the circumstances of each particular case shall be taken into consideration.

The carrier is not entitled to deviate from the instructions of the sender except in case of urgency, and provided that from the circumstances he can assume that the sender would approve of the deviation if he had knowledge of the state of affairs.

The carrier is liable for any loss, damage or delay in the delivery of the goods entrusted to him, except he can prove that the loss, damage or delay is due to force majeure, or to the nature of the goods, or to the negligence of the sender or of the consignee.

The carrier is liable for loss or damage due to apparent defects in packing, if he has accepted the goods for transportation without reservation.

（Repealed）

If the goods were transported by several successive carriers, each of them as are unable to prove that they have no liability under the Article 635 are jointly liable for the loss, damage or delay.

In the case of loss, damage or delay, the damages shall be fixed in accordance with the value which the goods would have had at the destination and the time when delivery was due.
The freight and other expenses which need not be paid in consequence of the loss of or damage to the goods transported shall be deducted from the amount of damages specified in the preceding paragraph.
If the loss, damage or delay is due to the intentional acts or gross negligence of the carrier, the sender may also claim for other injuries, if any.

The carrier is not liable for the loss or damage of the moneys, valuable securities, jewelries or such other valuables, unless he is given notice of the nature and value of such goods when they are entrusted to him.
If their value is declared the liability of the carrier is limited to such declared value.

Injuries in the case of delay in delivery shall not exceed the amount which could be claimed in case of the total loss of the goods.

In the cases of Articles 633, 650 and 651 and in other cases which may prevent or delay the transportation, or impair the safety of the goods, the carrier shall exercise necessary care and measures.
If he fails to take such care and measures as specified in the preceding paragraph, he is liable for any injury resulting therefrom.

As long as the carrier has not notified the consignee of the arrival of the goods, or the consignee after their arrival has not asked for their delivery, the sender, or, if a bill of lading has been made, the holder of the bill of lading may require the carrier to stop the transportation and to return the goods, or to make any other disposition of them.
In the case provided for in the preceding paragraph, the carrier is entitled to the freight in proportion to the transportation already performed and to all expenses occasioned by the stoppage, return or other disposition of the goods, and to reasonable damages.

The carrier shall notify the consignee as soon as the goods arrive.

After the goods have arrived at the destination, and the consignee has demanded delivery, the consignee acquires the rights of the sender arising from the contract of carriage.

The carrier is not entitled to the freight of goods which arc lost by force majeure during transportation. Whatever has been received for that purpose shall be returned.

If the carrier delivers the goods before payment of freight and other expenses, he remains liable to the preceding carriers for such part of the freight and other expenses as may still be due to them.

The carrier is entitled to retain such portion of the goods as may be necessary to secure payment of freight and other expenses.
If the amount of the freight and other expenses be disputed, the consignee is entitled to ask for the delivery of the goods on lodging the amount in dispute.

The liability of the carrier ceases when the consignee has, without reservation, accepted the goods and paid the freight and other expenses.
But this does not apply in the case of loss of or damage to the goods not easily discoverable, provided that notice of such loss or damage is given to the carrier within ten days after the goods accepted by the consignee.
When the loss or damage has been fraudulently concealed by the carrier, or is due to the carrier's intentional acts or gross negligence, the carrier shall not take advantage of the two preceding paragraphs.

A statement in the bill of lading or other such document delivered by the carrier to the sender excluding or limiting the liability of the carrier is ineffective, unless it is proved that the sender has expressly agreed to such exclusion or limitation of liability.

If the consignee cannot be found, or he delays to take delivery of the goods or there are other difficulties of delivery, the carrier shall immediately notify the sender thereof and ask for his instructions.
If the instructions of the sender are not made or are impracticable, or if the carrier cannot keep the goods any longer in his custody, the carrier may deposit the goods in a warehouse at the expense of the sender.
If circumstances are such that deposit in a warehouse is impossible, or if the goods are of a nature of easy to corrupt, or if it is obvious that their value will not be sufficient to cover the freight and other expenses, the carrier may sell the goods by auction.
So far as is practicable, the carrier shall notify the sender and the consignee of the fact of the deposit in the warehouse or of the sale by auction.

The provisions of the preceding article shall apply, when delay of delivery is due to an action as to who is entitled to take delivery of the goods.

The carrier shall, after deducting from the proceeds of the auction the costs of auction, the freight and other expenses, deliver the remaining to the person entitled to it, or, if such person cannot be found, lodge it for such person's benefit.

If the goods were transported by several successive carriers, the last of them may exercise the rights described in Articles 647, 650 and 652 for the amounts due to them all for freight and other expenses.

The carrier of passengers shall be liable for any injury suffered by the passenger in consequence of the transportation, and for the delay in the transportation, except the injury or the delay is due to the negligence of such passenger or the injury is due to force majeure.
If the delay of the transportation is due to force majeure, unless otherwise provided by the trade custom, the liability of the carrier of passengers shall be limited to the increased necessary expenses paid by the passenger due to the delay of the transportation.

Luggage entrusted to the carrier in time shall be delivered on the arrival of the passenger.

If the passenger does not take delivery of the luggage within one month after its arrival within the reasonable deadline the carrier may ask the passenger bring back, or after the deadline, the carrier may sell it by auction. If the passengers could not be found, the carrier may sell it by auction without notice.
If the luggage is of a nature that is easy to corrupt, the carrier may sell it by auction twenty-four hours after its arrival.
The provisions of Article 652 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the cases provided for the two preceding paragraphs.

Unless otherwise provided for under this part, the rights and obligation of the carrier for the luggage, which the passenger has entrusted to him, are governed by the provisions concerning Carriage of Goods, even though the carrier did not make a separate charge for it.

The carrier is liable for the loss or damage of the luggage caused by his own negligence or that of his employees, even if such luggage has not been entrusted to him by the passenger.

A statement in a ticket, receipt or other document delivered by the carrier to the passenger, excluding or limiting the liability of the carrier, is ineffective, unless it can be proved that the passenger expressly agreed to such exclusion or limitation of liability.