Customs clearance solution helps SMEs and hauliers access Europe post-Brexit

CustomsLink has launched in the UK and is set to revolutionise the way the UK trades with the EU, ahead of the post-Brexit trade deal.

The new service enables anyone, from a sole trader to a large business, to deal with post-transition customs formalities.

It has been developed by Freightlink, Britain’s largest online freight ferry ticket agency, which recognised that because of the complexities of the customs process, many of its SME haulier customers would simply stop trading with Europe.

CustomsLink was built to support fast-moving ferry and Eurotunnel traffic, such as hauliers, couriers and small traders with multi-drop loads and short lead times. The cloud-based software creates customs documentation, electronically via a step-by-step process, available on desktop, smartphone and tablet devices. Users can also submit safety and security declarations to the relevant locations too.

Designed for all aspects of the supply chain, hauliers can update shipping routes, group loads and add and remove consignments whilst on the move, giving them continued real-time flexibility.

Freightlink has a background in developing digital solutions for the freight industry. Using this experience, they set to work with industry experts in customs and the supply chain to develop a highly scalable cloud-based software service.

Amanda Gunn, head of customs at Freightlink said: "We identified a gap in the market after discovering that most existing offerings comprised of legacy software based on the deep-sea container model. They simply didn’t work for hauliers, importers and exporters.

“We were told again and again that what we were looking for didn’t exist. As experts in our field, we felt that we could find a solution that would not only fix the problem, but streamline customs processes on the whole.

“Over the last few months, throughout the first lockdown our team of developers has been working around the clock to develop CustomsLink, a revolutionary software, designed for all aspects of the supply chain”.

Available now for the UK and EFTA countries, and in plenty of time for the end of the EU exit transition period. CustomsLink is primed to disrupt the traditionally wet-stamp, paper copy industry and provide a vital service to those trading with Europe in 2021.

Whilst this new, smart solution is good news for industry, Amanda issued a cautionary note; “The clock is ticking towards the first of January and in order to be prepared for the new rules traders need to act now. Ultimately, businesses cannot afford to wait any longer”.

For more information about the digital offerings CustomsLink provides for businesses, visit https://www.customs-link.com/