U.K. Warns of 7,000-Truck Line in Worst-Case Brexit Scenario

Minister Michael Gove issues warning to hauliers to prepare. U.K. says flow of freight at Dover could be reduced by 80% in worst case scenarios.

I don’t believe that the worst case scenario will happen, on the other hand I don’t believe in a best case scenario either. This is the biggest customs change in our lifetime. Regardless of preparation time, there would be initial delays and trouble. Now we don’tvhabe an ideal time soace for planning an oreparations so this intial situation will be bigger and remain for a longer period than of the preparations had started two or three years ago. Industry and the border community will after a while sort this out.

”I don’t believe that the worst case scenario will happen, on the other hand I don’t believe in a best case scenario either”

Lars Karlsson

Joe Mayes writes in Bloomberg today about the worst case scenario and that UK Government has issued a warning of 7,000 truck-long queues in Kent in a “reasonable worst case” scenario due to Brexit, a stark assessment of the potential chaos when Britain leaves the European Union’s single market and customs union at the end of the year.

In a letter to Britain’s border industry, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said the flow of freight between Dover and Calais — a vital U.K. trade artery — could be reduced by up to 80% compared to normal levels. The government’s worst-case assessment is that as many as 70% of trucks traveling to the EU may not be ready for new border controls, according to the letter.

“The biggest potential cause of disruption are traders not being ready for controls implemented by EU Member States on 1 January 2021,” Gove wrote in the letter dated Tuesday, seen by Bloomberg News. “It is essential that traders act now and get ready for new formalities.”

Preparing for customs checks on trade with the EU is one of the biggest logistical challenges facing Boris Johnson’s government. Failure risks major disruption to commerce with the U.K.’s largest trading partner when the Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31.

The government’s fear is that trucks will be stopped by EU officials for failing to have the correct post-Brexit paperwork, causing supply chain chaos and adding to the economic pain of coronavirus.

“We assume both imports and exports could be disrupted to a similar extent,” Gove’s letter said. “Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) that are caught up in congestion in the U.K. will be unable to travel to the EU to export products and/or collect another consignment.”

You can read the entire article here: U.K. Warns of 7,000-Truck Line in Worst-Case Brexit Scenario

Source: Bloomberg/Joe Mayes