Many British companies have drifted to the brink of collapse – the director of logistics firm Conference Hall said the uncertainty surrounding Brexit could have been addressed, but with the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, all of that proved exaggerated.
“We still don’t know, because there will be no Brexit, what kind of paperwork awaits us at customs – we have no idea.”
Due to the situation, many companies have pooled shares. This causes inevitable congestion in Dover on the banks of the English Channel, with trucks forming kilometers of miles.
“If there is an agreement, we hope to get rid of a lot of the paperwork. But if there is no agreement, we have no idea what will happen,” the conference hall shipping manager complains. “We are just thinking day in and day out until the government finally decides which direction to take and what is expected of the carriers.”
On the other side of the canal, in Calais, the French government has re-employed dozens of customs officials and established the so-called smart border system. It will be enough for British truck drivers to present a bar code in Dover, which the French authorities will immediately see and begin customs clearance on this basis.
