RHA Customs Brokerage, a new service for international hauliers

27th October 2020

With less than 10 weeks until the Brexit transition period ends, the RHA fully endorses Government’s acknowledgement that “time is running out for business to prepare”.

Commenting, RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “The focus for the thousands of hauliers and traders that currently move goods between GB and the EU is not on a ‘deal’ - it’s on how will cross-EU border traffic cope with the added processes - not least the added paperwork. That’s why we are pleased to announce the launch of the RHA Customs Brokerage service.

“We know that the haulage and logistics sector needs guidance as to the new processes. Many companies already work closely with their customs brokers and they will easily be able to adapt to the new regime. But following an extensive industry survey, we have established that over 63% of operators are unprepared for the customs changes.”

HMRC estimates that the current 50m annual transactions will increase to well over 200m, including the 20m needed to service the Irish protocol once the UK leaves the EU. Thousands of extra customs brokers will be needed to meet the demand but suitable candidates need to be recruited and trained. It’ll be a long process and time is incredibly tight.

“The massive shortfall of customs agents means that there is definitely a need for operational guidance and practical customs solutions. The expertise of our policy department combined with our extensive experience of the many customs procedures will ensure that the RHA Customs Brokerage service will be a best practice and industry-leading customs solution,” Richard Burnett continued.

Initially focussing on Ro-Ro traffic, the RHA Customs Brokerage service will be electronically connected to all 26 major UK ports and will ensure that Ro-Ro declarations can be completed in a way that suits operators and traders.

Concluding, Richard Burnett said: “It’s all about taking the risk, the time demands and the general headache out of the new declarations process. The RHA Customs Brokerage service will provide full support for RHA members, businesses, clients, and traders by ensuring they can keep goods moving while staying compliant in these challenging and unprecedented times.”

-Ends-

Notes to Editors

The RHA Customs Brokerage Service goes ‘live’ on 1 January 2021. However, the on-boarding sign up process begins on 1 November 2020.

For more information go to rhacustoms.co.uk or email [email protected]