When the UK left the European Union (EU), it withdrew from the single market and the customs union, which has resulted in changes to customs regulations since 2021, including stricter customs and border controls. With its integrated cross-channel logistics solution, Coyote Logistics shows how shippers and carriers can still master the transportation of goods across the English Channel.

For many shippers and freight forwarders in Europe, the hurdles of international goods and freight forwarding have increased enormously, and not just since the coronavirus pandemic, the current geopolitical upheavals or the energy crisis. For example, the UK's withdrawal from the EU as part of Brexit has been causing headaches for industry players from the trade, transport and logistics sectors since 2021. Since the end of the Brexit transition phase, the UK has no longer been part of the EU single market and the European customs union. This means that shippers and freight forwarders alike are facing new challenges when shipping and transporting goods across the English Channel. The complex customs formalities in particular mean a considerable amount of extra work and make delays and costly errors more likely. These can be caused by inconspicuous little things, such as the wrong printing color when filling out customs documents.

Shortly after Brexit, a large number of logistics and transport service providers therefore decided to remove transport services to and from the UK from their service portfolio. The reason: the bureaucratic effort seemed almost unmanageable. At the same time, the need for logistics expertise and reliable partners with a high level of know-how and experience in dealing with customs formalities has increased, especially for shippers.

Transportation and customs services from a single source

As one of the leading global logistics service providers, Coyote Logistics offers a reliable solution for shipping goods between the UK and the EU with its cross-channel logistics service. This includes export documentation, import clearance and real-time visibility through modern and connected track and trace technology. The UPS company, headquartered in Chicago and Amsterdam, handles more than 10,000 shipments every day and connects shippers and carriers worldwide on its digital transportation platform Coyotego. In Europe, Coyote Logistics specializes in full truck load (FTL) and express van freight services as well as 4PL services and logistics solutions for the post-Brexit hurdles.

One of the companies that was able to successfully overcome the hurdles for shipping across the English Channel with the support of Coyote is the British supplier of extreme sports products Stateside Skates, based near London. Due to the particular importance of the European market for the company, a solution for the logistical challenges following Brexit had to be found urgently. Stateside Skates generates more than half of its turnover from the sale of roller skates, skateboards and scooters in the European Union.

Business back to pre-Brexit level

Coyote takes care of all export documentation and import clearance for the company and, with access to Coyotego, enables digital booking and tracking of all freight shipments to simplify the booking and tracking processes.

"Coyote Logistics' work has been an efficient and elegant solution for our post-Brexit activities. Our teams work very closely together on a daily basis and all the paperwork and administration is easy to handle. Coyote has enabled us to continue our business at exactly the same level as before Brexit," says Alistair Crichton, CEO of Stateside Skates.

Tapping into new potential and continuing to grow

Irish-based freight forwarder J. Murray Transport also benefited from the cross-channel solution. Before working with Coyote, the family business, founded in 1989, lacked access to the networks of larger clients. Coyote helped the carrier to expand its business to include the more complex transports from the United Kingdom and Ireland to the European Union and vice versa. Once again, the Coyotego platform proved to be one of the keys to success, allowing J. Murray to easily view available loads that met his requirements and plan his routes accordingly. Not only the carrier, but also the climate and the environment benefited from the empty kilometers and trips that were avoided as a result. Overall, the transport company has grown from 8 to 18 trucks and 65 trailers since working with the UPS company, doubling the size of its fleet.

"Coyote Logistics deliberately focused on our needs and offered a solution for them. The team clearly has our best interests at heart. I would definitely recommend other carriers to work with Coyote," says John Murray, Director of J. Murray Transport.

Linking technology and service

Coyote Logistics is continuously expanding its activities on the European market in order to be able to offer its European customers the level of service they are accustomed to in the future. At the end of 2021, the logistics service provider set up a new service center in Wroclaw, Poland. The center offers 24/7 customer service and services for the United States as well as the other European branches in Amsterdam and Dover.

"Thanks to our many years of experience in handling complex customs formalities and our broad partner network consisting of over 7,500 freight forwarders and 1,000 shippers in Europe, we are able to show our customers and partners solutions for all post-Brexit hurdles and enable growth. In doing so, we focus primarily on combining innovative technology with dedicated customer service. Our aim is to provide our customers and partners with efficient and solution-oriented support," says Joep Kusters, Head of Europe, Coyote Logistics.