Nichola Mallon, head of trade and policy at Logistics UK, said truckers could be stranded for hours without access to toilets when Operation Brock, the system installed to manage traffic chaos towards Dover, is triggered.
Meanwhile, the Cold Chain Federation cited a lack of provision for drivers and delays at border facilities like Sevington, near Dover, where inspections on food and plant imports from the EU are now carried out.
Meanwhile, post-Brexit border checks requiring British holidaymakers to provide fingerprints and facial photos are likely to come into effect at the end of this year after they were delayed again due to fears of 14-hour queues into Dover.
The Sevington Inland Border Facility near Ashford, Kent (Photo: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Doug Bannister, chief executive of Port of Dover, said the EES could be rolled out in November – a year after its original start date.
The scheme was postponed last year amid fears roads into Dover would be paralysed by tourist traffic in 14-hour queues, with Logistics UK warning food deliveries would be at risk.
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Read More“Drivers can often sit for hours and hours in queues with no access to toileting facilities or other welfare facilities,” she said.
“We’ve also said to Government if we have images of hauliers and drivers sitting in traffic for hours and hours that acts as a disincentive.
As well as giving an EES start date, Brussels must clarify when an app for tourists to log their details in advance would be completed, Mallon added, with manual border checks needed if it’s not ready in time impacting hauliers.
In 2022, drivers stuck in Brock for up to 26 hours said they were treated like “animals” as they queued along a 23-mile stretch of the M20 with no toilets or water.
Border control operating areas at sites like Sevington in Ashford, Kent, a site where post-Brexit inspections on food and plants are carried out, do not have adequate facilities, he said.
“Sevington has been built at an enormous cost, and that has absolutely no driver facilities.”
“This is part of the problem of recruiting drivers. We are struggling to replace drivers who are leaving the profession. Where facilities are very restricted, safety is compromised,” Pluck said.
The country would “grind to a halt” if authorities did not prioritise drivers’ safety and dignity, he added.
“If our supply chain is interrupted, the shelves will be empty in the supermarkets and hospitals will not get their vital medicines,” he added.
A DfT spokesperson said: “The Government continues to prepare plans to mitigate against any disruption when EES is introduced, including regular conversations with the Port of Dover.
“Alongside industry and National Highways, we’re significantly investing in improving roadside facilities and rest areas – change lorry drivers are already benefitting from.”
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