Falling Exports, Rising Delays

18th August 2021

A survey of international hauliers carried out by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) found the volume of exports travelling from British ports to the EU fell 68% in January compared to the same period last year.

The research led its Chief Executive, Richard Burnett, to write to Cabinet Minister Michael Gove to call for assistance, particularly with increasing the number of customs agents from 10,000 to 50,0000 to help firms with extra, post-Brexit paperwork.

The RHA also found 65-75% of EU vehicles were leaving the UK empty due to a lack of goods, hold-ups in the UK and because British companies had halted exports to the continent.

ParcelHero's own research found the burden of complex new paperwork on exporters certainly began to bite in January, with 20% of parcels and the same proportion of trucks being stopped at some ports. Incorrect or incomplete paperwork meant many returned parcels and lorries being turned away at customs.

Senders struggled to come to terms with the many new requirements. Individuals sending parcels gave too sketchy descriptions of the items being sent, while retailers and manufacturers failed to give proper proof of origin and EORI details.

As a result, one of ParcelHero's courier partners saw up to 20% of its parcels being sent with incorrect or incomplete data attached. The company had to return all these parcels and, due to the escalating problems, suspended all its European road services.

Other couriers also announced strict new rules around automatically returning items with incomplete or inaccurate paperwork to the sender, including charging new fees for doing so.

During February, the crisis continued to mount, with many carriers’ warehouses filling with parcels rejected by the receiver or customs, which then had an impact on domestic UK deliveries as backlogs grew.

Source - Parcel Hero - https://www.parcelhero.com/research/brexit-study