Relaxation in Europe: Update of the current loading restrictions

Discontinuation of the additional service “cash on delivery”

Digitalisation and automation are key topics in online business as well as in logistics. As a result, a large number of online payment options have developed that are used in B2B and B2C business worldwide. The hygiene measures established as a result of the Corona crisis and the change in payment behaviour make it more difficult to use means of payment such as "cash on delivery". For DACHSER, the previous additional service "cash on delivery" is no longer necessary and will therefore discontinue this form of payment from 1 July 2020.

EU Exit Update

With the recent updates and the new government campaign on the EU Exit, we at DACHSER wanted to inform you of some key points that have arisen that you may find relevant for your organisation.

While trade talks continue to progress slowly, the month of June presented the last opportunity for the UK Government to extend the transition period currently due to end on 31 December 2020.

The date passed with no request for an extension, and now the focus is on a phased introduction to customs controls in the UK as of 1 January 2021. The transition phase will allow traders to recover from the impact of COVID-19 and to prepare for the new requirements. The UK will be subject to full customs control at its borders by 1 July 2021.

Earlier this year, the UK Government took steps to remove certain customs easements, including Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP), and Post VAT Accounting (PVA). However, they have reconsidered and understood there is a need for some customs easements to be in place.

As a result, we have seen the reintroduction of postponed VAT accounting and a new form of the import process to enable the importer of record to account for their shipments by creating an entry into their records. Further information on this process can be found on the GOV.UK website.

On 12 July 2020, the Government announced funding of £705 million to build border facilities, invest in new technology and to create 500 new jobs within the border force to give further development of the infrastructure in preparation to the EU exit. Within this amount, there is £50 million available to support with training and IT equipment to complete customs declarations which you may be able to benefit from.

There will be an EU Summit Meeting for final discussions between the UK and EU on 17-18 October 2020. Finally, on 19 October 2020, we should see the summary and conclusion of a deal or no-deal scenario. 

We should not lose sight that regardless of the outcome of these discussions, customs administration will be necessary on all goods entering and exiting the UK as of January 2021, albeit in a phased approach.

The UK Government have also announced ‘The UK’s new start: Let’s get going’ campaign which is designed to give everybody easy and quick access to information and actions that people and businesses need to take to prepare for the end of the transition period.

Download the full communication below that includes further useful links and information. 

DACHSER European Logistics – your reliable partner in good times and bad

We are pleased to be able to advise that, despite the huge challenges caused by COVID-19 crisis, DACHSER's European Logistics network continues to operate with its customary high reliability in order to fulfil your vital business requirements.

DACHSER, your family-owned business partner, has been doing its utmost to maintain its commitments given to you with regard to services and rates.

We have taken extensive measures to ensure the continuous supply of goods throughout Europe, and are fully aware of the huge responsibility we have for your business and for society in general. We are facing severe challenges and incurring additional costs as are all organisations within in our industry. Being well aware that nearly all industries and customers of DACHSER are facing a similar situation, we wanted to give you a strong signal that DACHSER remains in partnership with you:

DACHSER stands for stability and reliability in difficult times as well. Therefore, we will not be introducing a general “COVID-19 surcharge”. Instead, we wish to renew our commitment to you that we will be standing by our agreed tariffs and maintaining our rates for domestic and international groupage shipments for the time being.

We would like to cooperate even closer with you in order to develop solutions for the current and forthcoming challenges. In addition, we trust we can count on your flexibility in adapting lead times or service levels where necessary and your reliability by respecting the agreed payment terms based on our mutual trust and cooperation.

Let us stand side by side in these challenging times!