Les mécanismes d'allégement de la responsabilité du transporteur-routier de marchandises : étude jurisprudentielle
Institution:
Aix-Marseille 3Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
According to article 103 of commercial law the transporter bears heavy responsabilities for road haulage. Law-makers and jurisprudence have wor ked towards lightening these responsabilities. The following constitute the reasons for exemption according to customary law, acts of god, hidden defects, sender's mistake. Concerning the first two, total exemption will hold only in the case where the carrier has made no mistake; concerning the third cause a combination of mistakes is admit ted. These causes for exemption will remain difficult to be made use of. In a more efficient way, the lawsuit mechanisms of reservation concerning article 105 and the prescription of article 108 will protect the trans porter, if the plaintiff has committed any error. The law-makers have rewritten article 105 three times, but the situation of the sender is not improved accordingly. In addition to a strict formalism, jurisprudence maintains its requirement concerning the proof that the damage was caused during transportation. One year prescription is going to work in the trans porter's advantage too; the plaintiff deceived by vague promises will not use the period to start his lawsuit. There will be incidents during this period very often linked to the transporter's attitude. These mecha nims will apply automatically even in the case of an important mistake. Finally even if his responsability is held the transporter will ask legitimately for limits in compensation wich will define the maximum of the indemnity. These limits are legal. But the compensation will never be in full, except in the case of a negligent error. The plaintiff in acordance with public law will have to establish proof of the size of hiss loss, foreseeable and direct. Only fraud will thwart all the rules of lawsuit by dismissing the limits of compensation
Abstract FR:
Le transporteur routier de marchandises, en regime interne, supporte une lourde responsabilite, que fait peser sur lui l'article 103 du code de commerce. Le legislateur et la jurisprudence ont prevu des mecanismes d'allegement qui vont jouer en sa faveur. Ce sont les causes d'exoneration du droit commun: force majeure, vice de la chose, faute de l'expediteur. Pour les deux premieres, l'exoneration totale ne pourra etre retenue, que dans la mesure ou le transporteur n'aura commis aucune faute, fut-elle d'imprudence. Pour la troisieme cause, le concours de fautes est admis. Ces causes d'exoneration resteront difficiles a mettre en oeuvre. Plus efficacement, les mecanismes proceduraux," des reserves" de l'article 105 et de la prescription de l'article 108, protegeront le transporteur, si le reclamant a commis une erreur quelconque. Le legislateur a reformule trois fois l'article 105, mais la situation du destinataire n'en sort pas fa vorisee pour autant: a cote d'un formalisme strict, la jurisprudence main tient son exigence en ce qui concerne la preuve que le dommage s'est produit pendant le transport. La courte prescription d'un an va jouer egalement en faveur du transporteur; le reclamant trompe par de vagues promesses, ne mettra pas a profit ce delai pour introduire son action. Ce delai va su bir des incidents, attaches bien souvent a l'attitude du transporteur. Ces mecanismes vont s'appliquer automatiquement, meme en cas de faute lourde. Enfin, meme si sa responsabilite est retenue, le transporteur va opposer des limites de reparation, qui vont etablir des plafonds d'indemnisation. Ces limites sont legales, "d'ordre public", ou conventionnelles. Mais la reparation ne sera jamais entiere, sauf faute lourde. Le reclamant devra conformement au droit commun, prouver l'etendue de son prejudice, previsi ble et direct. Seule la "fraude" va faire echec a toutes les regles pro cedurales, en ecartant de meme les limites de reparation