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BREXIT VIEWPOINT


• Add a buffer to truck journey times and adjust transit times in your RRAs. For example, a delay of an hour or two due to congestion, diversion to an alternative port or longer ferry journey could prevent a driver reaching their destination within his or her allotted working hours. If you don’t build this risk into your RRA, a vulnerable load could end up in an unsafe location.


Ways to prepare


The UK government has already spent more than £2 billion preparing for Brexit and the private sector, especially logistics companies, manufacturers and retailers, is estimated to have budgeted several times this figure for planning and implementing protective measures. Due to the uncertainty of what will happen, and when and how it will affect supply chains, many SMEs are still not prepared for the worst but it’s not too late to implement contingencies, for example securing extra capacity and planning alternative routes. You should also consider the following:


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If you send or carry cargo from and to the UK, review your Route Risk Assessments (RRA) paying special attention to alternative routes, ports and truck stops which you may be forced to use;


• Don’t use suppliers for transport and warehousing that you haven’t validated. You may find that your usual suppliers are overbooked and logistics costs will probably increase in the weeks before Brexit but don’t be tempted to switch to cheaper but unqualified options, including via freight exchanges;


• You may find that some hauliers refuse to operate to the UK fearing delays and complicated procedures;


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If ports become congested, truck parks are likely to fill up so you need to identify alternative safe places for your drivers to use and you might need to deploy additional protection for vulnerable cargo;


• Be extra vigilant at all times for delays in the vicinity of ports. If trucks are unable to get into secure zones at ports on both sides of the Channel because of congestion, they will be at risk of attack from both cargo thieves and people smugglers, especially on the roads leading into Calais.


• Research changes to regulations affecting imports of high-risk food products (FNAO and POAO) – see advice here. In case of no deal, high-risk food products from the E.U. will not need to be inspected on arrival in the UK. High risk foods produced in a third country outside the EU will need to be inspected at the UK border and not all UK ports have Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) and Designated Points of Entry (DPEs), meaning some products will be diverted to other ports. Dover and Folkestone do not have BIPs or DPEs.


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It’s not yet confirmed if the EU will require UK food products to enter without inspection at the border or if the Calais BIP will be ready by the end of March.


To do our jobs, we all need to stay very well informed in the weeks leading up to Brexit. TAPA will be sending out alerts during this period, while the UK government has issued a series of Guidance Notices and will continue to do so, and both Eurotunnel and the ferry operators are also good sources of reliable and up-to-date information.


Ultimately, everyone wants and needs goods to move as seamlessly and securely as we have all become accustomed to. One way or another, supply chains will adapt.


‘If trucks are unable to get into secure zones at ports on both sides of the Channel because of congestion, they will be at risk of attack from both cargo thieves and people smugglers, especially on the roads leading into Calais.’


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