Logistics UK

Urgent Dover review needed as new freight rules are applied

Logistics UK, the former Freight Transport Association, has branded the UK Government’s response to the closure of the border between the UK and France for two days as embarrassing.

In a letter to the transport minister Lord Agnew, Logistics UK said that the response to the closure of the French border on 21 December was chaotic and called for an urgent review of traffic management and welfare arrangements for HGV drivers following the scenes of disorganisation over the period of the closure and...

https://container-news.com/urgent-dover-review-needed-as-new-freight-rules-are-applied/

Fears grow for stranded drivers and perishable cargo as truck queues build in Kent

Hauliers remained in limbo today as governments on both sides of the Channel seek a resolution to the border closure imposed by France after the UK identified a new variant of Covid-19.
UK prime minister Boris Johnson is to provide an update later today, with expectations that French authorities will reopen the border to accompanied freight by tomorrow for drivers who test negative for the virus.
Nonetheless, the queue of trucks waiting …

The post Fears grow for stranded drivers and perishable...

https://theloadstar.com/fears-grow-for-stranded-drivers-and-perishable-cargo-as-truck-queues-build-in-kent/

New UK logistics staff shortage looms as 79,000 EU workers go home

On top of port congestion, skyrocketing freight rates and the prospect of Brexit chaos, UK logistics operators are also facing the increasing likelihood of critical staff shortages, according to new report from Logistics UK.
The twin challenges of the pandemic and Brexit have led to nearly 80,000 EU nationals leaving the country’s logistics industry in the past 12 months, leaving a significant skills gap, Logistics UK’s Skills and Employment Report 2020 found.
Director of …

The post New UK...

https://theloadstar.com/new-uk-logistics-staff-shortage-looms-as-79000-eu-workers-go-home/

Deal or no-deal, first quarter post-Brexit will be tricky for logistics

Businesses may be growing increasingly optimistic about a deal being reached in the protracted Brexit negotiations, but the dire supply chain outlook for the first quarter remains.
EU negotiator Michel Barnier reportedly said there had been a breakthrough on one of the main sticking points, regulatory standards, with the UK now open to unilateral measures such as tariffs being applied to counteract systemic divergences that would distort trade and investment.
While welcome …

The post Deal or...

https://theloadstar.com/deal-or-no-deal-first-quarter-post-brexit-will-be-tricky-for-logistics/

Congested UK Ports Leads To Soaring Freight Costs

  • A Retail Group based in London used to pay $2,000 to ship a 40-ft container to the UK and now they’re paying at least $8,000 up to $10,000.
  • Major shipping companies including Marseille-based CMA-CGM have told UK importers no more bookings can be made for ships sailing from Asia until the last week of December.
  • A ports analyst warned the end result could resemble the credit crunch of 2008 when importers’ lines of credit dried up.

Businesses say a global shipping crisis is causing freight...

https://mfame.guru/price-rises-likely-due-to-uk-shipping-problems/

‘Abandoned’ SMEs struggling to prepare as final Brexit deadline looms

UK small and medium-sized supply chain businesses claim government indecision and negotiating failures have left them all at sea, as the country prepares for the end of the Brexit transition period.
All UK supply chain companies will be required to operate under new customs and border control procedures from 1 January, but if a trade deal with the EU is reached, some red tape can be cut.
But the lack of clarity …

The post ‘Abandoned’ SMEs struggling to prepare as final Brexit deadline looms...

https://theloadstar.com/abandoned-smes-struggling-to-prepare-as-final-brexit-deadline-looms/

‘End the blame game’ and let’s finally work together on Brexit, logistics tells MPs

Industry and government need to stop fighting and work together over the next 11 weeks if the UK is to be prepared for Brexit, a transport select committee was told today.
Director of policy at Logistics UK Elizabeth de Jong cautioned against engaging in a “blame game”, after minister for efficiency and transformation Theodore Agnew said business “had its head in the sand” when it came to Brexit preparedness.
“We need to …

The post ‘End the blame game’ and let’s finally work together on Brexit,...

https://theloadstar.com/end-the-blame-game-and-finally-work-together-for-brexit-logistics-tells-government/

Fury as UK government looks to blame predicted Brexit chaos on logistics sector

The UK government is “making villains of key workers” in logistics according to forwarders, as tensions between ministers and businesses rose to new levels this week.
A leaked letter from Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove to logistics organisations appears to pin the blame for expected queues of up to 7,000 lorries on companies being unprepared.
Mr Gove wrote: “The period of disruption for the reasonable worse case scenario is predicated on assumptions …

The post Fury as UK government looks...

https://theloadstar.com/fury-as-uk-government-looks-to-blame-predicted-brexit-chaos-on-logistics-sector/

Another blow for UK logistics: SMART Freight system won’t be ready for Brexit

UK forwarders and shippers readying their businesses for Brexit were dealt another blow yesterday when freight association Logistics UK revealed it had learned that the SMART Freight system won’t be ready for the deadline of 1 January.
“News that the government’s much anticipated SMART Freight system is unlikely to be ready by the end of the year, with the beta version only anticipated for launch in mid-December, is a crushing disappointment …

The post Another blow for UK logistics: SMART...

https://theloadstar.com/another-blow-for-uk-logistics-smart-freight-system-wont-be-ready-for-brexit/

Freight Transport Association to become Logistics UK

The UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) is to become Logistics UK – part of its evolution to “represent all of logistics”.
Chief executive David Wells commended the FTA on its achievements to date, but added that “it’s important to understand how we achieve those policy wins”.
He said: “Our breadth, size and scale is unique and gives us strength and depth in expertise across important issues in all of the sectors we …

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