Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg
European freight forwarders reject contracts to take cargo to UK for fear of chaos at Dover can be repeated after the Brexit.
Transporeon, a German software company that monitors real-time data on freight traffic and fares for more than 100,000 logistics service providers, said a ‘dramatic number’ of freight forwarders had refused to take cargo to the UK in the past two weeks, although agreed contracts.
This is because the companies – which receive and ship goods on behalf of other companies – are worried that they will not be able to return with a so-called backload, or that they could sit in queues when trying to leave Britain.
Not wanted
European freight forwarders already avoid Britain
Source: Transporeon
The disapproval rate for freight from France to Britain last week almost tripled – compared to the average in the third quarter – and doubled for the route Germany-Britain, as the demand for transport with 68% for France-Britain and 71% for Germany- Britain has fallen. .
Shippers are usually less busy at Christmas – when managers go on holiday and close businesses – and the decline is expected to be more pronounced this year after businesses stockpiled parts, food and production materials in the third quarter. However, Oliver Kahrs of Transporeon said that these factors alone could not explain the decline in demand.
“When trucks got stuck and could not cross the canal. “It was an extraordinary situation that is not comparable to what we had last year,” he said. Kahrs attributed the higher rejection rates to the last week chaos at Dover and also cites concerns that there could be more logjams after the UK left the internal market and customs union on Thursday.
The British government is still dealing with the Kent unrest, caused by France being traversed by canal for 48 hours, to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
In a in a letter on Tuesday, trade group Logistics UK warned that the lack of adequate toilet facilities or hot food in the port of Dover during the blockade was a ‘national embarrassment’, adding that if the chaos was repeated on January 1, ‘ this lack of concern because driver welfare may affect the willingness of EU carriers to send their drivers to this country. ‘