The Road Haulage Association is calling on the UK Government and the EU to go ahead with the agreed 21-month implementation period if there’s no Brexit deal.

The extra time – up until 31 December 2020 – would give businesses and government agencies crucial breathing space to adjust to new arrangements, according to the RHA.

The RHA believes that the scale of change would be catastrophic for firms and government agencies if a ‘no-deal’ Brexit goes ahead in March 2019 without an implementation period.

RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett said: “We’re still no closer to knowing what a post-Brexit world will look like, even after the Government’s first batch of technical notices on ‘no-deal’ contingencies.

“What we do know is that there’s not enough time for the UK or EU governments to put sufficient staff or infrastructure in place to manage new customs or road haul

age permits systems before March.”

The RHA advises operators to get ready for Brexit as quickly as possible. See our updated ‘Preparing for Brexit’ document which covers retaining EU nationals, improving customs paperwork, and Safety and Security Declarations.

The RHA will continue to update operators as more information becomes available.

Road Haulage Association

About the Author: John Loughran