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Berlin (dpa) - Since the new trade agreement between the EU and Great Britain came into force, goods traffic between the island and the continent has been jerky.
Because many processes still have to be rehearsed, especially in customs clearance, many truck drivers are often stuck on the British side for hours, according to the industry association.
"It has already happened that trucks loaded with English goods for the continent were routed back to the sender because customs clearance at the GB / EU border was not ensured," criticized the Federal Association of Freight Transport, Logistics and Disposal (BGL).
Small and medium-sized companies in particular would have great problems keeping track of the new regulations and complying with them.
“We also have a chronic shortage of customs agents in Great Britain,” said the BGL managing director, Dirk Engelhardt, of the German press agency.
Such agents usually take care of the customs formalities for their customers.
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Truck drivers who wanted to return from Great Britain to the EU would have to wait 12 to 36 hours in the British hinterland, especially while waiting for the customs papers, Engelhardt said.
There is also a risk of traffic chaos due to longer handling times for thousands of trucks at the border.
According to BGL, additional documents are now due for animal and vegetable products, which are also not cheap.
"Some transport companies are now rejecting trips to Great Britain because the uncertainties on the way back are too great."
Even large logistics groups such as the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Schenker had recently felt the effects of Brexit and the trade agreement that was now agreed.
In January, Schenker temporarily stopped accepting consignments from the EU to Great Britain because most of the deliveries were missing documents and the employees could not keep track of them.
Many retailers on both sides have already stopped deliveries from or to the EU.
In the medium term, he is assuming that for all of these reasons, freight prices will rise significantly, "by up to 50 percent," said Engelhardt from the BGL.
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When asked, foreign trade experts assume that at least the problems with customs clearance will be resolved in the medium term.
Such start-up difficulties are normal, according to the Federal Association of Wholesale Foreign Trade Services (BGA).
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210207-99-334865 / 2