The end of the Brexit transition period is now less than 2 months away and will require changes for all companies exporting to, or importing from, the EU single market. All sectors of industry will be affected by Brexit, though the impact on some is likely to be greater than on others, depending on the extent to which their supply chains are exposed to the operational and administrative stresses that are going to arrive at full tilt on 1 January 2021.
Transport operators in particular will be severely impacted and will need to prepare carefully – ASAP – if they are to be able to continue delivering the level of service their customers demand these days.
For instance, transport operators will need to have Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) numbers in order to comply with EU single market requirements and we know now a truck entering Kent heading for the EU will require a Kent Access Permit (KAP). That a KAP is something that will be ineffective, according to the Road Haulage Association, is beside the point – it will still be required.
EORIs and KAPs are mandatory changes to operations that will need to be inserted as seamlessly as possible into individual supply chains and transport operators will need to ensure that their transport management systems (TMS) can accommodate those changes.
To minimise costs, operators need to speak with their IT systems providers to agree the changes in advance and implement the necessary work well before the 1 January 2021 deadline.
A modern TMS will save you time, money – and face
Only a modern TMS will have the ability to ensure that transparency and connectivity are delivered timeously and efficiently. Such a TMS can deliver all stakeholders with the specific information they require, wherever they happen to sit in the supply chain. Use of older TMSs could lead to delays that are costly to both the operator and their customers.
A TMS that takes advantage of the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, such as Deltion’s CarrierNet, can easily assimilate all the changes, not just those involving EORIs and KAPs, that will be levied on transport operators by life outside the EU. In addition, due to the workflow and rules approach employed by CarrierNet, individual system configurations can be set up to meet different supply chain requirements.
As if that weren’t enough, other benefits of CarrierNet’s SaaS-driven capabilities include: • Low cost of entry – no capital expenditure required on IT hardware or software • Rapid deployment: implementation and training are simple as CarrierNet uses just an internet browser user interface • Pay-as-you-go pricing reflects the variable nature of business • Instant scalability – upscale or downscale with staff increases/decreases • Work anywhere – access to the internet is all that’s required • Seamless, real-time upgrades – software is continually updated • No maintenance costs • No long-term contract required
The times they are a-changin’
On 1 January 2021, the world will change forever for transport operators from both the UK and the EU. Operators who wish to survive, and even thrive, will need proactively to plan right now for the coming operational and administrative changes that are indeed a-comin’.
Please contact Bashir Khan to discuss the benefits of SaaS and CarrierNet at bashir.khan@deltion.co.uk