London, UK: The National Audit Office has warned in a report on Britain’s Brexit readiness that “many traders and third parties will not be ready for new EU controls.”
It stressed that crucial IT systems have yet to be tested and transit areas for lorries are not ready as the government attempts to prepare new border controls for the end of the Brexit transition period. It pointed the finger at the government for being too slow to make the necessary preparations, including failing to expand the customs intermediary market, failing to upscale customs systems and failing to determine the requirements for infrastructure.
So what is the government doing to help hauliers?
It has opened five new information and advice sites and is due to open another 40 by 20 November. The Department for Transport says that staff at the sites will be able to discuss the changes, provide training on new IT systems, and explain how hauliers can best prepare for the end of the year.
There will also be a dedicated online haulier portal to make sure drivers and managers have access to all the information and 1-1 support they might need. So how can international hauliers prepare for the coming changes, particularly when it comes to customs arrangements? One route is to avail themselves of one of the many new customs services. For example, the Road Haulage Association has just launched a customs brokerage service. Other services include those from Logistics UK, the Customs Clearance Consortium and Europa Worldwide.
There is a lot of information on how to prepare for the changes from the trade associations, including webinars that give updates on Brexit developments and the effects on the logistics industry. Social media accounts like Twitter tend to give details on these. However, international hauliers can only do so much to prepare. If the government fails on its promises to deliver infrastructure and IT systems it will not be the fault of the haulage industry if significant disruption takes place in January.
Websites with advice:
Government information: Guidance on international road haulage:
Guidance for hauliers transporting goods between the UK and EU in a no-deal Brexit:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transporting-goods-between-the-uk-and-eu-in-a-no-deal-brexit-guidance-for-hauliers
What operators need to do to get ready for the Customs Declaration Service (CDS):
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-hmrc-will-introduce-the-customs-declaration-service
Road Haulage Association’s industry-led customs solutions and guidance to keep hauliers trading and compliant in 2021 and beyond:
https://www.rhacustoms.co.uk/
Logistics UK’s Brexit advice hub:
https://logistics.org.uk/logisticsuk-brexit-advice
Cold Chain Federation – Brexit views and information on blog:
https://www.coldchainfederation.org.uk/category/voice/the-cold-chain-blog/
Customs Clearance Consortium – customs and border process specialists who have the expertise to make sense of Brexit:
https://www.eori.uk/
Europa Worldwide’s Brexit information centre:
https://www.europa-worldwide.com/brexit-information-centre/
CBI’s UK transition hub:
https://www.cbi.org.uk/uk-transition-hub/
