Outta Time

Time is running out, like grains of sand falling through our fingers.

There is less than four months to go before the transition period ends, and with the Government stating there will be no extension, the all preparations will have to be complete and work perfectly first time.

Only, for some industries and tasks, its already too late.

Packaging needs to be made, printed, and will they be able to have EU CE marking?

Made in UK?

Made in Britain?

No one knows. For sure.

And what about the four different computer systems to deal with customs declarations that HAS to be working from New Year's Day? Tow are still on the drawing board, and for the other two, discussions with industry has only just begun.

The haulage industry is warning of chaos at ports, not just Dover, but for those that lead to Northern Ireland, as customs and rule of origin declarations will also have to be competed for consignments going there too, not just mainland Europe.

They have sent a letter:

"First the letter itself - short but sweet - and important to note that it comes from the experts. The groups that actually move stuff and do stuff. I am not an expert, I can only report their concerns - which they are clearly now escalating."

"There are also other signatories to that letter - including some household name logistics companies - for which discretion is the better part of valour.

But they are deeply worried on three counts:

1) IT not being ready
2) Biz having no time to adjust
3) Govt not listening"

Let's take each in turn. First the IT not being ready.

There are about 10 new IT systems business will have to grapple with, three of which are UK Govt related.

These include the new SmartFreight App and the GVMS pre-lodgement system for goods going UK-EU.

They are not ready and industry doesn't have its hands on them in order to get used to them.

For example the SmartFreight App that is supposed stop traffic jams in Kent.

As Sarah Laouadi of @LogisticsUKSL says even it it is ready by oct/nov how will biz adjust

This is a classic of the Whitehall solution that doesn't take into account ground realities - for example 85% of cross channel freight is in EU lorries. That means the App has to work for French, Romanian, Hungarian....etc.

And this - to take point 2, adjustment - is where biz is starting to lose it's temper with the government that simply seems to fail to grasp the scale of what is being asked of it.

They are requesting a roundtable meeting with the Chancellor, Michael Gove and Minister for Transport as their concern is so grave.

It is signed by the Road Haulage Association, Logistics UK, among the eight signatories. Grim stuff, grim that it has come to this, though some of us won't be surprised that it is so badly being executed.

Responding to the story, Best For Britain CEO, Naomi Smith, said: "This growing shambles raises many questions, not least of which is how it can be that logistics experts are begging to meet with those responsible for sorting these issues, at this late stage of proceedings?"

"It beggars belief that the logistics sector has not been involved already. How is it supposed to prepare for the brave new post-Brexit world when much of the necessary infrastructure is not in place? Is there even space at ports for the horde of trucks likely to be held up?"

"The Gov't has repeatedly refused to countenance extending the transition period, risking border chaos in the process. If this is not sorted, and sorted promptly, we face food and medicine supply interruptions. Britain will be set for an extremely bleak midwinter."

“Our concern is so strong that we collectively agreed to request an urgent roundtable meeting. We are asking you to take seriously our concerns and listen to the detail.”

Simply extraordinary that business must beseech gov’t to “listen to the detail”.

It also emerged that three more lorry parks are to be built, one in Dover itself, at the White Cliffs Business Park in Whitfield. LOoking at Google Earth, I am struggling to see where there is room for 1200 trucks and trailers. But I'm sure it'll be OK as Johnson has taken direct control over Brexit. Though he has banned people from saying "Brexit", wonder what he calls it?

And this evening it turns out that Robert Jenrick has given himslef powers, via an SI, to be able to build lorry parks all over the country, over-riding any local opposition.

That's gonna go down well...