According to The Freight Transport Association (FTA), UK government plans to strengthen compliance with Operation Brock (the queueing system to be introduced for lorries in Kent in the event of a No-Deal Brexit) will place the responsibility to travel with correct documentation on haulage businesses, despite a lack of clarity on the actual paperwork required.

The business organisation, which represents more than 17,000 logistics businesses throughout the UK, is concerned that the plans do not take into account the information still required by those travelling to and from the EU about the nature and processing of data which will be needed at the border.

Heidi Skinner, Policy Manager for the South East at FTA said, “Those moving goods to and from European customers and beyond need clear instructions on how and where tariffs and documentation must be declared before Operation Brock is implemented, and with less than three months until the UK’s departure from the EU, the pressure is mounting with no help from government.”

“Of course, effective traffic management is vital to ensure that residents and businesses in Kent and the rest of the south-east can continue their daily lives smoothly and efficiently,” she continued.  “But the government’s plans around Operation Brock contradict its assertion that there will be no delays at the country’s Channel ports and indicate that queues of vehicles are to be expected travelling to the coast.”