Day: October 7, 2024

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union has caused changes in the logistics market. What does the transport of goods between the UK and Poland look like after Brexit and how to plan supply chains between Poland and the UK to minimise costs?

With the UK leaving the European Union, the country became a ‘third country’ for Poland in transport and goods have to be transported in customs transit. After Brexit, the islands left the European Economic Area (EEA), controls reappeared at the borders, the waiting time for goods to enter (and leave) has increased significantly Currently, customs procedures do not affect transport times. It takes place smoothly so this mention can be omitted, and the number of documents needed to legally import and export goods to and from the Islands has multiplied significantly.

*ASL is a logistics company that helps organise the formalities for customs, transport and storage of goods. We prepare shipping documents, give full monitoring and advise on organising import/export. We offer general cargo by road, sea and air, as well as full-load international (and domestic) transport, always at the lowest prices.

Carriage of goods by road to and from the UK after Brexit – our company helps organise the formalities

TiRs and other cars transporting goods by road can be stopped by the UK Border Agency to check customs documents, the driver’s entitlement, to check the technical condition of the vehicle, as well as the conformity of the load being transported with the transport documents.

When transporting goods to and from the UK from Poland and other EU countries, transport clearance, opening of transit, closing of transit, and import clearance must be carried out. Everyone involved in the supply chain regardless of which way they are going) must have a GB EORI number.

Transport to the UK – requirements for drivers (code 95, GMR number)

Drivers carrying our cargo, moving within the UK, must be ready at all times to show the Code 95 to the UK services (Code 95 is very rarely used. It is better to replace it with the generic name of Certificate of Professional Competence for Drivers ( CPC ) entered on the driving licence or the relevant entry certifying that they are a professional driver, recorded on the driver’s qualification card.

Over time, the need to register with GVMS, the goods vehicle service system, was also introduced. This applies to any vehicle carrying freight that has entered the UK from abroad and wishes to deliver goods to a consignee located within the UK. The exporter/agent/shipper should provide the haulier with all the customs and other route documents that will be required for the driver to declare That we have registered with the GVMS system, the UK services find out as soon as we cross the border. (Some or all of the documents prepared can be sent digitally so that an individual number can be generated in advance – we must then have an individual GMR number generated for us, which certifies that we have made a full customs declaration. To obtain this number, it is necessary to create a UK Government Gateway account and register there. For this to be possible, it is necessary to obtain an EORI number issued to Polish carriers by the National Tax Administration. ASL as a logistics company provides a comprehensive, compliant transport service from EU countries to the UK – contact our staff for details of a quote for your individual case!

Freight transport to the UK – cabotage ban

In the course of carrying out a number of changes associated with the UK’s gradual exit from the European Union, the rules relating to cabotage have tightened. At the end of 2022, changes to the regulations came into force, according to which cabotage operations can be carried out within the UK provided,Each journey can include up to 2 cabotage operations in the UK , provided that they are carried out after a journey with a load from the EU and within 7 days of unloading in the UK . that the car has entered the islands with the imported goods, with only two operations allowed within 7 days. Transport operations can only be carried out entirely with the same vehicle (or combination of vehicles).

There have also been changes when it comes to intermodal transport. Here, the British have banned the receipt of goods using trailers that are unregistered in the UK. It is also not possible to access the loading and unloading of intermodal freight more than 25 km from the British coastal border.

Transport to the UK after Brexit – changes in 2024

As of 30 April 2024, changes to the way border controls are carried out on goods entering the UK from European Union countries came into force. The UK has set up Border Control Posts (BCPs) where animal products, plants and plant products defined as medium risk are inspected.

Summary – changes in transport after Brexit

The UK’s exit from the European Union has not impeded imports and exports (on the contrary – according to indicators, imports and exports between the UK and EU countries are growing year on year), but it has significantly increased the costs of transport, warehousing, as well as indirect costs related to transport (companies must, for example, employ additional staff to handle transport in its new form) and made the whole process more complicated. ASL is perfectly positioned to navigate the meanders of post-Brexit logistics – also for non-standard goods, i.e. transport of medicines to and from the UK, transport in the food industry, or transport of machinery, bulky items, electronics and non-standard goods. Contact us and quote for the transportation of your cargo quickly!

SENT, the System for Electronic Surveillance of Transport, is a road monitoring system, which primarily serves to track so-called sensitive goods. This category includes goods such as, for example, heating fuels, biodiesel, lubricating oils or denatured alcohols whose transport:

– commencing and terminating on the territory of Poland,  
– commencing and terminating outside the territory of Poland (export) 
– commencing outside the territory of Poland and terminating on the territory of Poland (import)

When do you have to report SENT as a carrier?

Anyone who trades and intermediates in the transport of the above-mentioned products is obliged to register on the PUESC platform (Platform for Electronic Fiscal and Customs Services). Only after registration do we gain access to SENT-related services. Each time a new notification is created, an individual notification number is generated along with three individual access keys. Each of these has a different function and allows you to update (consignor), complete data (carrier) or close (consignee). The SENT reference number is valid for 10 days from the date of issue. 
However, please note that after the 10-day period, the number will automatically expire and the receiving party (in the case of domestic sales) will not be able to confirm receipt of the goods.

e-TOLL, or how to run SENT

For the haulier, there is an obligation to equip the means of transport with a device that transmits geolocalisation data. Currently, the most convenient way is to install the e-Toll application on a GPS-enabled mobile device. Once correctly configured, an individual business number will be assigned to the device. This number is later required when updating the SENT declaration. Please also note that simply registering the device is not sufficient. Each time before starting a transport, it is necessary to launch the application and select the ‘start journey’ option for the corresponding SENT declaration number. A similar action should be performed after the delivery by selecting ‘end journey’.

Which goods are covered by SENT? How to check the list of goods subject to the SENT procedure?

The list of goods covered by the SENT monitoring system includes a variety of categories, including:

• fuels, i.e. petrol, oils, heating and engine fuels,
• other substances: lubricants, binders, solvents, textile grease preparations, dried tobacco, cigarette ribbons and cigarette papers, denatured and undenatured ethyl alcohol,
• waste: paints, varnishes, solvents, adhesives, as well as other waste specified in the applicable regulations.

In order to check whether the goods you are transporting are covered by the SENT procedure, you need to verify the commodity code in the Combined Nomenclature (CN) and then check in the Electronic Transport Supervision System whether the given commodity number is covered by monitoring.

What is the penalty for failure to declare SENT?

It should be mentioned that all entities involved in the transport of goods are obliged to supplement and/or promptly update the data contained in the declaration. An entity failing to declare the carriage of so-called sensitive goods in the SENT system (System of Electronic Transport Supervision) may receive a fine of 45% of the value of the goods, but no less than PLN 20,000. An additional PLN 10,000 – for the lack of a geolocaliser.

On the other hand, a driver who has not checked the reference number that the declared goods should have must face a fine of between PLN 5,000 and PLN 7,500.

If the receiving/acquiring entity fails to comply with the obligation to close the SENT declaration, it may face a penalty of:

1) PLN 5000 – in the case of a business entity;

2) PLN 1,000 – in the case of a non-business entity.

Which goods are not covered by the SENT procedure?

• consignments which are subject to the customs procedures of transit, storage, temporary admission, processing and export,
• consignments moving under suspension of excise duty using the EMCS,
• carriage of goods by means of transport belonging to state bodies (police, ABW, border guards).

Transport of goods under the SENT procedure with ASL

Naturally, we carry out such transports as part of our ASL Road and ASL Rail Freight business lines. Depending on the customer’s expectations, we carry out the transport of goods under the SENT procedure or comprehensively carry out a logistics project, one element of which is transport under the procedure in question: from advice and support in notifying the PUESC system, transport in accordance with the requirements set out in the procedure, warehousing and transhipment services at our own and partner warehouses and distribution at home or abroad.