Towards the important port city of Dover, in the south of England, more than 2,000 trucks are stuck in traffic jams. Disrupted ferry traffic and an IT breakdown are the cause of the enormous nuisance.
A British IT system that has been handling customs forms electronically since Brexit is experiencing a breakdown. The system called Goods Vehicle Movement Service is likely to be out of action until at least Monday, British customs authority HRMC said in a response. In the meantime, carriers have to fill out the forms in other ways to “cause as little disruption as possible”.
Due to the problem, the waiting times are increasing. According to truckers on the spot, 2,000 trucks are stuck in a traffic jam that has meanwhile covered more than 32 kilometers.
Long queues of trucks were already standing in the direction of Dover because P&O ferries did not sail after a much-discussed mass layoff. That shipping company has said it wants to resume services this weekend, which could ease the pressure on the border.
It is unclear how long the disruption will continue. Meanwhile, truckers stuck in traffic complain about the poor conditions to which they are exposed.
“Truck drivers cannot leave their truck. They have no access to suitable resting places and the sanitary facilities are minimal,” the Spanish transport organization denounced. She asks that the European Commission put pressure on Britain to tackle too long waiting times.
The nuisance is a line through the bill of many waiting truck drivers in the run-up to Easter. After all, this is one of the busiest times of the year for many carriers.
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