Van drivers will be required to get new international operating licences if they want to travel back and forth to the EU from May next year, the government has announced. The additional red tape will come into force next year alongside a series of further checks at Dover and other ports that were delayed three times in 2021 because of lack of preparation for Brexit in Great Britain.
The licence will cost van drivers up to £1,100, a significant burden for solo operators, industry leaders said. Drivers will have to fork out £257 in an application fee and a further £401 for the licence. Another £401 “continuation fee” will be payable every five years to retain the licence, according to gov.uk.
Rod McKenzie, the managing director of policy and public affairs at the RHA, said: “This is just more bureaucracy. It’s been flagged for some time but could be a problem for the one-man bands or small operators who are simply too busy running their business day to day to have noticed this.”
From 1 January exporters of agrifoods from the EU will also have to notify authorities in advance in Great Britain of their exports with physical checks on fresh food, products of animal origin, and plants including cut flowers from the Netherlands from July.
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