Expect shortages down road, say hauliers
HAULAGE industry leaders are predicting a New Year lull in cross-Channel shipments followed by a storm that threatens jams and product shortages.
The Road Haulage Association said many firms have dramatically scaled back on sending consignments to and from the UK for fear of delays caused Brexit red tape.
As a result, the RHA believes there will not be an immediate repeat of the chaotic queues seen ahead of Christmas, but there could soon be shortages of fresh produce or components needed by manufacturers.
Concerns stem from a serious lack of customs agents needed to help fill out paperwork and online forms associated with new checks at ports. It is claimed there are only about 5,000 of the 50,000 customs agents needed to help do this work.
Hauliers have also been told they will not be allowed to enter Kent without a special access permit. Lorries that do not comply will be i dentified through automatic number-plate recognition and fined £300.
According to official estimates using data from Eurotunnel and ferry companies, only about 800 lorries are projected to cross the Channel to France in the first 24 hours after Brexit tonight. But, as traffic returns to normal, problems could soon escalate.
The Government has admitted there is a possibility of up to 7,000 lorries waiting in tailbacks for days if only about a third have the correct paperwork.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the RHA, said some fresh produce suppliers in Europe were so fearful of border delays that they had decided to cut what they were prepared to send over by about 50 per cent. ‘If a haulier is stuck in a queue for two days with a load of fresh food that has a shelf life of five to seven days, the retailer will refuse to accept it,’ he explained.
Mr Burnett added: ‘The reality is that business is not prepared. We are changing all of our ways of operating at the flick of a switch and we are expecting thousands of businesses to get it right from day one. It is almost impossible to do that.’
A government spokesman said: ‘The border systems and infrastructure we need are in place, and we are ready for the UK’s new start.’