RHA at Westminster: Excessive bureaucracy forcing hauliers out of business and away from EU markets

Trade between the UK and the EU remains hampered by red tape that puts businesses at risk. This was the message the Business and Trade Committee heard from our trade policy lead, Alastair Gunn, alongside Toby Ovens from Broughton Transport Solutions on Tuesday.

The parliamentary session, which was part of the Committee’s inquiry into UK trade was our opportunity to raise long-held concerns on the processes hampering our members.

Increased bureaucracy and in-built customs delays hits supply chains on both sides of the Channel and the Irish Sea making it harder for businesses to trade. We’re seeing hauliers go out of business while others shift away from the EU market; some are even looking at ways to open premises in the EU. All of this of course hits the wider economy.

We also raised the issue of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and how that’s going to affect coach operators and hauliers on international work. The 90/180 rule will be more rigorously enforced reducing the number of drivers available to do this work – and it’s why we’re calling for a professional drivers’ exemption.

MPs also wanted to know about moving goods into Northern Ireland – now widely seen as one the most complex trade borders in the world – and how businesses in Great Britain are shipping to ports in the Republic of Ireland instead of going straight into Belfast. We repeated our calls for a Trusted Haulier Scheme and moving determination of ‘at risk’ goods to the point of sale, away from the border.

We’re committed to continuing our dialogues with government, parliament, operators and stakeholders to work on solutions to reduce trade frictions to benefit the economy.

And I’d like to thank the Business and Trade Committee for giving us and our members the opportunity to offer evidence and we look forward to doing so again.