Dutch carriers want the government to step in quickly to solve the huge traffic congestion in Dover. Hundreds of truck drivers are stuck in an important British port city due to a faltering IT system and problems at ferry service provider P&O Ferries.
If it is up to business associations TLN and evofenedex, Foreign Secretary Aukje de Vries (Supplies and Customs) should speak to her British counterpart as soon as possible about a solution. Trucking companies also want temporary leniency if drivers do not adhere to legal driving and rest times, they write in a letter to the minister. For example, truck drivers can board the ferry as quickly as possible and also leave it as soon as possible.
2500 trucks stuck
An estimated 2,500 trucks are stuck in Dover. This is primarily due to the failure of the British customs IT system in which all carriers are required to provide their documents about the goods to be transported. An alternative system has been created, but the elimination of backlog is only slowly progressing. In addition, several sailings for shipping company P&O Ferries have been canceled after Controversial mass layoffs In the company. In other ferry services there is not enough capacity to transport all trucks.
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TLN and evofenedex fear a repeat Mayhem in 2020 right before Christmas, when many truck drivers were in a long traffic jam due to the chaotic introduction of the new Corona measures in France. Drivers now risk missing out on Easter. So some carriers no longer send trucks to the UK. Other companies are forced to take detours, which “soon entails €200 in additional costs”.
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