Original Source Signal
ICC Academy's January 2026 explanation of C and D rules highlights a common purchasing trap: the destination named in a freight quote is not necessarily where transport risk transfers. Under CPT, the seller pays carriage to the named destination, but delivery and risk transfer occur when the goods are handed to the carrier at the agreed delivery point. Under DAP, delivery normally occurs at the named destination when the goods are available to the buyer on the arriving vehicle, ready for unloading. These are existing Incoterms 2020 distinctions, not a new September rule.
BLV Rewrite
Consider this hypothetical shipment: a Vietnamese supplier sells boxed products to a German buyer and arranges transport to the buyer's warehouse. A CPT quote and a DAP quote can show the same German address while allocating the journey's risk differently. For CPT, ask the parties to identify the earlier carrier handover point explicitly. For DAP, identify the exact receiving point at the destination. A phrase such as 'delivery Germany included' leaves too much for the operations team to interpret. BLV's recommended exercise is to draw the planned journey on one page and put a named person, document and decision beside each handover. Use a real terminal, warehouse address or receiving bay once the route is agreed; the example here is illustrative, not a record of a BLV customer transaction.
BLV Interpretation
The next question is customs. ICC Academy's separate DAP-or-DDP guide, linked from the source article, explains that import clearance belongs to the buyer under DAP and to the seller under DDP. It also cautions that a foreign seller can face difficulty performing import clearance. A Vietnamese exporter should therefore confirm the workable German clearance arrangement before offering DDP; hiring a freight forwarder alone does not answer every contractual and regulatory question. For the quote review, ask the broker to identify the declarant, required authorisations, documents, duties and tax handling for this transaction. Ask the carrier to itemise terminal handling, final-mile delivery, unloading and waiting charges. Check whether unloading is already included in the carriage contract before allocating it a second time. Record cargo-insurance scope separately and ask an insurer about any uncovered part of the journey. Keep payment dates, quality acceptance and the process for damage evidence visible in the commercial file as well.
Why This Matters
A written route and responsibility map makes competing supplier quotes easier to compare and exposes costs that a headline freight price may leave unresolved.
The useful comparison is the complete operating plan behind each price. A purchasing team can use the route map to explain what its German warehouse must prepare and which questions the Vietnamese supplier still needs answered. Agreeing that plan before booking gives both sides a chance to resolve an unsuitable delivery point, missing document owner or unclear receiving procedure.
Read the chosen Incoterms 2020 rule with the actual sales and transport contracts. This teaching example does not determine liability for a particular shipment or replace transaction-specific advice.
Sales, purchasing and logistics teams need the same account of who hands over the goods, who receives them and who handles an exception.
Who Gains
- Buyers comparing quotes on a common route and cost basis
- Suppliers with a documented handover and receiving plan
Who Is Pressured
- Quotes that use only a country or city as the delivery description
- Teams relying on an informal promise that freight includes everything
What Businesses Should Do
- Write the chosen rule, precise named place or point, and Incoterms 2020 edition into the agreed quotation and sales contract.
- Mark the delivery point and paid-carriage destination separately on the route map, then have both parties confirm the intended allocation.
- Obtain a written clearance plan and an itemised transport quote; resolve unloading, waiting charges and insurance before booking.
- Run a tabletop check: a carton arrives damaged and a document is missing. Name who records the evidence, contacts the carrier or broker, and keeps the other party informed.
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