Road haulage permits, why you need them
The UK government has confirmed that hauliers need to act before the 18th January 2019 to apply for road haulage permits. (ECMT) European conference of ministers for transport road haulage permit scheme may be required to move goods across Europe in the case of a BREXIT no deal.
The Freight Transport Association have warned that these permits may be the only option for UK hauliers transport to and through Europe. In the case of a no deal road haulage permits become a realistic reality. The present issue with ECMT road haulage permits is their scarcity. There is presently a limit of 984 road haulage permits for UK vehicles which is clearly not enough.
What is the ECMT road haulage permit scheme
The ECMT road haulage permit scheme allows limited transport of goods into 43 member countries. Permits are valid for one calendar year and allow an unlimited number of journeys. Permits may be transferred between vehicles, these must be kept on board for the whole journey.
ECMT permits may not be used for :
- Cabotage
- Unaccompanied trailers or semi-trailers
- Own account operations
- Transit of ECMT countries on journeys to non-ECMT states
How to apply for an ECMT permit
To obtain an ECMT road haulage permit you should start here . For those freight forwarders and roadfreight hauliers applying there is very limited supply of these permits. The closing date of the 18th January is tight so I would recommend applying earlier rather than later. Journeys must be between member countries, this includes laden or empty transit journeys.
Hauliers in Northern Ireland
The UK government is still seeking clarity for Northern Ireland based haulage companies. Presently the UK government expects that you will not need them as it is seeking an agreement with Ireland. You will need an operators licence from the department for infrastructure in Nothern Ireland. The UK government has issued a statement saying Irish hauliers won’t need a ECMT permit to operate in northern Ireland.
