As the queues on the M20 get longer and longer with the average waiting time of anywhere between 18-30 hrs you have to wonder how much this will cost consumers. Moreover, many don’t even know why it’s happening. Here is a quick piece to explain this lunacy.
Back in January the new IT system GVMS (Goods Vehicle Movement Service) started and whilst the idea behind it is sound, clearly the software isn’t. The idea was that to have free flowing movement at all RORO (roll-on, roll-off) ports good should be pre-advised to HMRC. So far so good.
To achieve that goal the importation systems (CHIEF: Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight and CDS: Customs Declaration Service) needed additional coding so that the new system (GVMS) could access the declarations on a pre-advise basis. The codes were added to Chief (RRS01: enter the EORI number of the haulier responsible for registering the. movement on GVMS; EORI:Economic Operators Registration and Identification number) and from there the hauliers could access the documents.
Once these documents are accessed the hauliers can the apply for a GMR (Goods Movement Reference). This allows the lorry to pass the RORO port without stopping because the load is already known to HMRC and has been pre-advised. The ports use automatic numberplate recognision (ANPR) to identify the lorry and its load and then automatically clear it.
So, as said, it’s actually a clever idea when you note that Dover, for example, doesn’t have room to let lorries be checked as Dover was never built for that purpose. So why the queues four months in?
Basically the IT system has broken down and GVMS has stopped working with Chief and CDS. The implications are easy to grasp and result in lorries queuing for days in some cases while documents are checked manually.
It’s now so bad that HMRC had realised this is costing too much time and money and so we are back to checking nothing either way in the hope the backlog is cleared. Please remember these lorries carry your fresh fruit and other daily consumables, so this affects everyone.
This is Brexit reality with systems unable to cope with demand and that haven’t been funded properly and when they break it seems they can’t be repaired quickly. This is a government letting everyone down on a daily basis but still they pretend there is nothing to see.
By the way here is the official letter from HMRC saying that they can’t cope… so there you have it, folks, taking back control actually means we have no control at all but a fu**ing huge queue on the M20 that serves zero purpose.
Originally tweeted by Daniel Lambert (Wines). 🇪🇺🇫🇷🏴🍇🥂 (@DanielLambert29) on 08/04/2022.
These queues mean locals cannot get to work/school/visit relatives etc. No facilities for the lorries stuck in traffic…no loos, no food. Rubbish and detritus is building up on the verges. Unappealing, to say the least, and an environmental horror show from emissions and mess. That’s the legacy of Brexit. Editor
And don’t let the government tell you it’s NOT Brexit…Here’s Calais. Spot the difference. They’re organised.
