Electronic transport documents (EPD) in Meridian and Formata CRM
The Russian e-waybill (ETrN), order (EZZ) and trip ticket (EPL) are built straight from a sale, validated against the Federal Tax Service formats, signed with a qualified signature and sent to an EPD operator. Federal Law 140-FZ is satisfied inside the accounting system — no retyping in the operator's cabinet.
The feature switches on automatically for the Russian interface language (region “Russia”) and is included in the product price. The EPD operator's tariff is paid to the operator.
What Federal Law 140-FZ requires
Federal Law No. 140-FZ of 7 June 2025 amended the freight-forwarding law and the Road Transport Charter: documents for domestic road haulage in Russia are issued in electronic form only.
Only through an EPD operator
Companies do not talk to the state system (GIS EPD) directly. Documents are signed and exchanged through an accredited operator: Diadoc (Kontur), Astral, SBIS and others.
Federal Tax Service formats
ETrN — order ED-7-26/1065@, EZZ — ED-7-26/108@, EPL — ED-7-26/116@. XML exchange files validated against the schema, windows-1251 encoding, file names carrying the participants' identifiers.
Signatures of every party
Shipper and consignee sign with the organisation's qualified signature (plus a machine-readable power of attorney for an employee); the driver signs with a simple or unqualified signature in the operator's app or via Goskey.
Five-year retention
Exchange files and signatures are kept by the parties, the operator and GIS EPD. From 1 September 2026 a paper waybill is no longer a primary document for tax accounting.
Documents the products produce
Everything a shipper, a consignee and a carrier with its own fleet need.
Electronic waybill
Title 1 of the shipper is built from the sale: document lines become cargo, the buyer becomes the consignee. Incoming titles T2, T3 and T4 are received from the operator and matched to the shipment by its UID.
Electronic order (request)
A request to the carrier for a vehicle: route, loading and unloading points, cargo, vehicle requirements, temperature regime.
Carrier titles
When your own vehicle carries the goods: cargo acceptance (T2) and delivery to the consignee (T4) with the carrier's reservations, built on the chain of previously received titles.
Electronic trip ticket
The vehicle owner's record of the trip: validity, kind of transportation, vehicle and trailers, drivers, route points. Mandatory for alcohol, dangerous goods and passenger transport.
Validation against FTS schemas
Every exchange file is checked against the official XSD before signing. Filling errors show up in the shipment card, not as an operator rejection.
Visual form
The waybill prints or saves as HTML for the driver and the archive — in the familiar paper layout.
How the e-waybill flows
Four mandatory titles of one waybill. The program tracks the whole chain and shows the shipment state in the sale card.
Statuses: draft → XML built → signed → sent → accepted by carrier → delivered → closed
What the EPD module does
One logic for two products: the Meridian desktop and the Formata CRM web system.
Shipment from a sale
The “EPD” button in a sale document creates a shipment: cargo, consignee and shipping documents are already filled in.
Transport directories
Vehicles and trailers, drivers with licence details, loading and unloading points with structured addresses, EPD details of counterparties and signers.
Qualified signature at no extra cost
Signing through Windows CryptoAPI: CryptoPro CSP or the free ViPNet CSP. In the browser — the CryptoPro plug-in or a ready signature file. Goskey — through the operator.
EPD operators
Sending, statuses and incoming titles through the Diadoc and Astral APIs. Endpoints and field mappings live in an editable profile — connecting to an operator does not need a program update.
Works without an API
Export mode: the XML is saved as a file and uploaded in the operator's cabinet. Good for a first start and for operators without an API.
Storage and journal
Exchange files and signatures are stored in your PostgreSQL database as is, every action is journaled per shipment. The five-year retention is covered by your own backup.
Roles: shipper, consignee, carrier
A supplier's incoming waybill becomes a shipment in the consignee role; your own fleet gets carrier titles T2/T4 and trip tickets.
Region of use
The section is visible only in the “Russia” region (detected from the interface language) and can be enabled manually in settings — the interface for other countries stays clean.
How it works
Five steps from a sale to a closed shipment.
In Meridian
- Sale — Press “EPD” in the sale document — the shipment card opens with the cargo and the consignee.
- Carrier and vehicle — Pick the carrier, vehicle, driver and points; check the details with the “Check” button.
- Exchange files — “Build waybill T1” and, if needed, “Build order (EZZ)” — the files pass the FTS XSD validation.
- Signing — “Sign…” with the qualified certificate on the workstation or “Sign via Goskey” — the request goes to the signer's phone.
- Sending and statuses — “Send to operator”, then “Update statuses”: T2, T3 and T4 arrive automatically and the shipment closes.
In Formata CRM
- Warehouse document — The “EPD” button in a dispatch creates a shipment; the “Transport → Shipments (EPD)” section is in the menu.
- Shipment card — Parties, points, vehicle, driver and signer are picked from directories; cargo comes from the document lines.
- Building — T1 and EZZ are built by a server script; the XML downloads with one button or goes to the operator through the API.
- Signing in the browser — A signing page: the CryptoPro browser plug-in or an upload of a ready .sig file made by CryptoARM or ViPNet.
- Scheduled exchange — A job polls the operator every 5 minutes: statuses, incoming titles, new shipments in the consignee role.
What you need to start
- A contract with an EPD operator (Diadoc, Astral or another) and your organisation's identifier at the operator.
- A qualified certificate of the organisation and a GOST crypto provider: CryptoPro CSP or the free ViPNet CSP. For an employee — a machine-readable power of attorney.
- Meridian: Windows 10/11 and PostgreSQL 12+; Python ships in the installer. Formata CRM: cloud or your own server, signing in the browser.
- Counterparty details: INN, KPP, OGRN, address by the state register or as text — entered once in the counterparty card.
When EPD is not required
- Your own vehicle delivers the goods and delivery is included in the price under the supply contract — a trip ticket is enough.
- The buyer collects the goods (self-pickup).
- International carriage — the 140-FZ rules apply inside Russia only.
- Cases from the Ministry of Transport order No. 262: emergencies, military transport, operator system failure, no connectivity.
Questions and answers
What is EPD and who is affected by 140-FZ?
EPD are electronic transport documents: the waybill, the order/request, the trip ticket and others. From 1 September 2026 every party to domestic road freight in Russia — shippers, carriers, consignees and forwarders — issues them electronically only, through an EPD operator.
Can we keep using paper waybills for now?
Road-control fines are suspended until 1 March 2027, but from 1 September 2026 a paper waybill is no longer a primary document for tax accounting. Better switch now — the program lets you start without an API by exporting XML into the operator's cabinet.
Is the EPD module paid separately?
No. The module is part of Meridian and Formata CRM. You only pay the EPD operator's tariff and, if needed, a crypto provider licence.
Do we have to buy CryptoPro?
No. The program signs through the standard Windows CryptoAPI, so the free ViPNet CSP works. The head's qualified certificate is issued by the Federal Tax Service certification centre free of charge. The driver signs in the operator's app or via Goskey.
Which operators are supported?
Profiles for Diadoc (Kontur) and Astral are written from their public documentation and stored in settings: endpoints, paths and field mappings can be adjusted at connection time without a program update. Any other operator is supported through XML export into its cabinet.
We are a consignee — what about incoming waybills?
The supplier's incoming title T1 creates a shipment in the consignee role. You see it under “Incoming”, sign title T3 (acceptance or refusal) and send it to the operator.
We have our own fleet — do we need an ETrN?
If delivery is included in the price under the supply contract — no, a trip ticket is enough and the program builds the EPL. If delivery is a separate paid service, an ETrN is required: the program builds the carrier titles T2 and T4.
Where are the files and signatures stored?
In your PostgreSQL database — as is, in the FTS encoding, together with the detached signature and the event journal. Nothing goes to iMobile servers. A database backup covers the five-year retention requirement.
Ready for 140-FZ
Download Meridian or open the Formata CRM demo: the “Shipments (EPD)” section appears with the Russian interface language.