Category: Brexit

EU border disruption impacting trailer availability

Problems finding import trailers from the EU is being blamed on the slowdown in exports from the UK, which are currently 30% below normal levels, but with continuing delays at the border, the more likely issue is it is less financially or operationally attractive for European hauliers to send the... Read more

Brexit update; Cross border EU traffic threatened

Increasing numbers of exporters are struggling to acquire critical transit documents, which allow goods to cross borders within the European Union, because of delays at issuing offices and difficulties obtaining or increasing transit guarantees. The Common Transit Convention (CTC) allows truck... Read more

New EU origin rules catching shippers out – if it isn’t manufactured in UK/EU duty is possibly applicable!

All goods with a UK or EU origin require an appropriate declaration of origin to benefit from preferential tariff rates and failure to provide this proof of origin could leave the importer liable for duty and - under some circumstances - the EU may even impose duty twice on the same goods. The... Read more

Brexit delays and confusion causing logistics delays and headaches

The Channel ports may be quiet, but behind the scenes drivers are being held up for hours and even days because they lack the right documents. European carriers are suspending UK services and European located businesses have stopped serving UK markets. The end of the Brexit transition period c... Read more

New inland border facilities

As part of their preparation for the UK’s new EU trading relationship the government committed to build new inland border facilities, to carry out customs compliance, transit, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary checks, including one facility opened beside Metro’s midland freight hub.  Sev... Read more

Custom’s accreditation changes

Internationally recognised as a mark of security and quality excellence, Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status is an independent endorsement that our international supply chain processes are secure and that our customs controls and procedures are efficient, effective and legally compliant. ... Read more

The lull before the storm ends – European Overland and Customs Update Week 2

While reports of free-flowing freight traffic at Dover may suggest everything is hunky-dory in the nation’s supply chain, after the end of transition, the reality is that there are problems, delays and disruption, it’s just taking place elsewhere and disruption is imminent.  Dover’s... Read more

Finally; Brexit trade deal welcomed

The logistics industry has welcomed the signing of a Brexit trade deal between the UK and the EU. Running to 1246 pages the deal covers the rules relating to products which will allow them to be freely traded, and market access rules for air and road transport. The freight sector responded pos... Read more

Dover braces

Since the end of the Brexit transition period on New Year's Eve, new customs paperwork is required for lorry drivers, that is in addition to the recent requirements imposed by France to have a negative Covid test result. However, so far things appear to have been running fairly smoothly at t... Read more

Metro’s role in government border strategy

On the 17th December 2020 HM Government (HMG) released its 2025 Border Strategy document, which outlines its intentions for modernising the UK frontier and embraces many technologies and ideas pioneered by Metro. The 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out the government’s vision for the UK border ... Read more

Tariff code continuity post-transition is good news

The Department for International Trade has confirmed that current commodity codes will continue to be used for trade between Great Britain and the EU, when transition ends on 31st December and the UK has left the Single Market and EU Customs Code. From the start of 2021, the UK ... Read more

Brexit politics round-up 10th December

As Boris’ dinner with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, fails to end Brexit trade deadlock, the deadline for the end of the transition period is looming, and it’s looking likely that any deal needs to be struck by Sunday, or the UK is leaving the EU without one. ... Read more