Important information on road haulage in the EU after 29 March

As the date for leaving the EU draws ever closer, we wanted to write jointly to address the concern that we appreciate the uncertainty is causing in the road haulage sector. The Government is of course continuing to work towards securing a withdrawal deal that Parliament can approve, and if ratified, the Withdrawal Agreement will allow permit-free road transport to continue during the implementation period that will last until the end of 2020.

But it is right that businesses, like Government, should be making contingency plans for a ‘no deal’ scenario. We understand that many of you are being asked by your workforce, customers and in some cases your bank, about those contingency plans, and the impact of ‘no deal’ on your businesses’ prospects.

So we wanted to provide some important reassurance and clarity about the continued temporary access rights that the EU now intends to allow UK hauliers even in the event of ‘no deal’, and the timeline for when we expect this will be confirmed.

Access to the EU without permits, in the event of ‘no deal’

We do not expect ECMT permits to be required for most purposes.

The EU is close to agreeing a new law meaning UK operators will be able to carry out road haulage to EU member states until 31 December 2019.  The new rules are set to be approved by the European Parliament in the week commencing 11 March and by Member States the following week. This will allow you to make most journeys without a permit. The journeys permitted are expected to be:

• You will be able to travel to any EU Member State (empty or laden) and return (empty or laden).
• You will be allowed to undertake a limited amount of ‘cross-trade’ and ‘cabotage’ work on a transitional basis – two such journeys per week for four months, reducing to one journey per week for the next three months.
• The proposed EU law will, however, not allow permit-free access to non-EU countries. You will require an ECMT permit to transit EU member states to third countries, such as Switzerland or Turkey.

The Department for Transport will write to you again urgently to let you know once the new rules are confirmed.

Do you need an ECMT permit?

The DVSA recently wrote to all hauliers who had applied for ECMT permits for 2019. We know many businesses were disappointed and concerned that they did not get as many permits as they wanted. However, because of the proposed EU rules, we now expect that most operators will not need an ECMT permit to do most business in the EU.

We expect that ECMT permits will only be needed for:

• Operators wishing to undertake more cross-trade work than the EU Regulation will allow. ECMT permits authorise up to three cross-trade loads per week.

• Operators who travel to non-EU Member States through EU Member States – so for instance to Switzerland or Ukraine.

ECMT permits do not allow cabotage.

The UK has recently been granted some extra ECMT permits. The Department for Transport will be making some of the extra allocation available for Euro V vehicles – a new application window for those will be open from today (5 March) until 23:59 on 16 March for operators who have not previously applied.

Operators that applied before will be considered automatically.

It should be noted that a Euro V permit can be used for a Euro VI vehicle. To apply, and to find more information, visit www.gov.uk/dvsa/ecmt-permits

To be clear and to reiterate, if the new EU law is confirmed we only expect ECMT permits to be needed for the journeys described above. So, we recommend that new applicants only apply for permits if you need them for those purposes. The Government will also be seeking to put in place other arrangements to support businesses doing ‘transit’ work to non-EU countries, including the use of additional 30-day ECMT permits. More details on this will be available soon.

Many operators who have been allocated ECMT permits will not require some or all of the allocation if the EU rules pass as expected.  The Department for Transport will write to all successful applicants in March to ask if you want to take up your allocation of permits and you’ll have 10 working days to decide. There will be no fee charged for any permit you no longer require.

ECMT permits that are not taken up will be made available for re-allocation to operators who will need them.

What you should do now

Consider whether you need ECMT permits.

If you have been allocated permits you no longer need, please let DVSA know. If you need to apply for additional permits in the new window, prepare to do so from today (5 March) and visit www.gov.uk/dvsa/ecmt-permits

Register your trailers

Your trailer must be registered if it is used on international journeys outside the UK and Ireland from 28 March, regardless of the outcome of EU negotiations.

You can register your trailers now by visiting www.gov.uk/euexitdriving.

Get an International Driving Permit (IDP) and a Green Card
You may also need an International Driving Permit (IDP) and a Motor Insurance Green Card to continue to drive in the EU in the event of no-deal.

IDPs can be obtained from the Post Office for £5.50. To obtain a Motor Insurance Green Card, contact your vehicle insurer.

Get the latest information on driving in the EU and register for alerts at www.gov.uk/euexitdriving.