Peterborough, UK: The Road Haulage Association has set out a series of six urgent measures the government needs to tackle in order to prepare the industry for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.
Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said the measures would ensure high volumes of goods could continue flowing across UK-EU borders if customs controls are introduced on 31 October. The measures follow a meeting between Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay MP and Burnett.
He called on the government to:
• Produce clear guidance on how the whole end-to-end journey will operate;
• Open and authorise new and substantial customs facilities for transit;
• Introduce a consolidated and simplified import safety & security declaration system;
• Launch online customs training for traders;
• Make lorry holding facilities such as Operation Brock fit for purpose;
Abolish the 22% tariff on new trucks.
He said that businesses moving goods across borders still do not know what they are required to do if there’s a ‘no-deal’ Brexit amid predictions that there will be huge backlogs at ports.
A permanent 12-hour delay for the 10,000 trucks that use the Dover Strait each day would cost £2.2bn per year in each direction in lorry operating costs alone.
He pointed out that the 22% tariff on new trucks from the EU would make it beyond the reach of the average operator as they face daily charges of up to £100 to enter clean air zones with non-Euro VI trucks.
