Cargo Ready Date (CRD)

Cargo Ready Date (CRD) is a date specified by a shipper or exporter indicating when their product will be available at a named location. The location could be a warehouse, container yard, or terminal. 

It is important that shippers specify the date as it will help the freight forwarders to plan the pickup date for the cargo. The CRD can be changed if the products are prepared before or after the originally specified date. 

Many people mix the CRD with Estimated Time of Departure (ETD); however, these terms are completely different. ETD specifies the time and date when the cargo is ready to be moved from the supplier’s location; whereas CRD just shows when the cargo will be ready on the supplier’s location.