Often, clients are surprised by the breadth of what we can do and the services that we offer. We’ve written several times about the logistics that we offer, from part loads to freight forwarding and even the complexities of SIVEP, but we rarely go into detail about what we’re actually working on at any given time.  

Every month brings new challenges and unexpected positives, and we’re continuously learning something new. We bring this experience to every single job that we do, which is why we’re the transport logistics partner of choice for many big brand names and small businesses.  

We wanted to showcase a brief snapshot of the variety of work that we’re focusing on and the types of challenges that we face every day. That will put into context what we do and how we support clients like you.  

Did you know the weather can impact the types of goods we transport? 

Over the past month, we’ve had a massive influx of British strawberries that we’ve exported to Germany. The weather conditions this year have been ideal for strawberry growers, and you may be surprised to learn that there is huge demand throughout Europe for British strawberries.  

As transport logistic experts, we’re continually amazed at how the great British weather can significantly impact the type of products we export each year. The good news is that thanks to our temperature-controlled vehicles, we can cope with unexpected heatwaves that will prevent any goods from deteriorating in transit.  

Surprise of the month – fraudulent strawberries! 

When we export fruit and vegetables, we have to conduct SIVEP paperwork. This is a stringent process where any item of plant or animal origin needs to be examined and accompanied by sanitary certifications before the onward journey can continue.  

One of our biggest surprises this month was realising that while raspberries and blueberries pass through the checks with relative ease, British strawberries have a specific commodity code attached to them, which makes them subject to fraud checks! 

These fraud checks are needed to confirm the authenticity and accuracy of all paperwork. However, they can cause issues because any discrepancies (even weight differences as minimal as 2kg) mean that the paperwork will be rejected until new documentation is provided.  

Our biggest concern is that any delays caused by these checks can be catastrophic for fresh produce. We want the new government to look into this, as well as the risk that any goods checked by border force agents will have to be disposed of due to contamination.  

The biggest challenge this month – duplicate SIVEP certificates  

For the first time this month, we had one of our trucks return to the UK due to duplicated SIVEP certificates. The complexities of the checks fell foul of duplication rules when one of our customers held both a digital copy and a paper copy. While you may think that this extra care and attention would simplify the process for customs agents, the duplication caused significant issues.  

The issue was first identified at 2 p.m., and by 11 a.m. the following day, we had a definitive answer that the truck would need to return to the UK. As the goods involved were fresh fruit, the customer was quickly able to divert the produce to a UK seller, preventing stock loss.  

Our swift turnaround and rapid flexibility enabled us to transport the goods immediately to the new UK destinations. 

Christmas is on its way…. 

We know no one wants to hear the C word this early – it’s August, after all! But due to lead times, we’re currently working across multiple seasons! 

Some of us are deep into British summertime (hence the exports of British seasonal fruits). But we’re also working heavily on back-to-school trends and Halloween goods. An increasing amount of goods are also being moved that are ready for Christmas.  

Focusing on seasonal goods for multiple seasons simultaneously can be a big challenge, but with our detailed planning and complex logistics, we can ensure that your products get from A to B on time. Whether you need to ship your goods to one central warehouse or disseminate them to multiple destinations, we have the logistics team ready to help.  

Did you know there’s a growing demand for English teas/sweets in Malaysia? 

Another additional focus this month has been the growth in demand for traditional English teas and sweets abroad. There has been a notable influx in demand for exports to Malaysia, and we are proud to support this. We love working with clients to export British goods around the world because it allows us to show off some of the best goods and products that Britain can offer.  

Talk to us about your transport logistics needs 

Here at Waller Transport, we offer a wide range of services. Whether you need to ship your goods across the UK, export to Europe or import from China, we can handle it all.  

Our approach is to consider each shipment on its own merits, ensuring that we constantly meet your timelines and budget requirements.  

Please contact us to find out how we can help you with your transport logistics or freight-forwarding needs.  

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