P&O Ferries launches app to help operators avoid queues at Dover and Calais

P&O Ferries is offering a digital tool to help operators avoid border control issues caused by Brexit at Dover and Calais.

The launch follows the introduction new Brexit border requirements for cargo movements from Europe to the UK in January this year, which has seen lorries queueing on both sides of the Channel ports, as a result of confusion over the paperwork required for each journey.

The Travel Wallet digital tool, which is free of charge, aims to help hauliers navigate the pre-journey process, to avoid problems when drivers check in at their ports.

P&O Ferries believes Travel Wallet will help reduce check-in times and queues at ports significantly, estimating that it could reduce check-in times by up to 50%.

The tool helps operators identify which documents are required for each movement based on the route and the cargo being shipped.

Freight customers can also use it to verify the documents and then save the digital paperwork in the tool, generating one barcode that can be used by drivers at check-in, removing any language barriers and allowing drivers to simply scan and go.

Peter Hebblethwaite, chief executive of P&O Ferries, said: “The new border regulations add complexity, time and cost to all areas of the process, but they are here to stay and will become business-as-usual over time. We believe it is up to everyone in the sector to do all they can to simplify the processes to make them as efficient as possible, and this is something P&O Ferries is committed to.

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“We have been speaking to our customers regularly over the last year about the difficulties they are facing, and we have been monitoring the impact at our ports in order to identify the common issues, so that we can design ways to improve these either at the pre-journey process stage, or on the day of travel.

“One issue we have found at check-in is that drivers, who may not speak the local language at the port, are often not sure what paperwork they should have ready, which can lead to dozens of documents being passed to our employees to work through. We understand that this is difficult for the drivers, and we want to help in any way we can.

“The Travel Wallet provides drivers with one umbrella barcode that we can scan in a matter of seconds, helping to reduce waiting times and queues for every vehicle that comes into our ports. It can also send customs status updates to users keeping them informed ahead of every step of the journey.”

Customers using the Travel Wallet will also be able to access the other Brexit related products offered on DP World’s cargoes community platform, including the company’s BEEMS Border Management Products.

Matthew Bradley, MD of CNS/Cargoes Community in the UK, said: “Our BEEMS Border Management Products are aimed at minimising the disruption caused by the new paperwork requirements, to ensure the flow of cargo continues as smoothly and efficiently as possible. These products are now live, with some enhancements and new routes planned for later in the year. The final full suite of products will offer solutions for all areas of the supply chain involved in importing and exporting in and out of the UK.”

“The Travel Wallet is a significant part of that suite of products and will make a big difference for the people dealing with the pre-travel paperwork as well as for the drivers, therefore we are absolutely thrilled our partners at P&O Ferries are offering it to their customers free of charge.

“It is a neutral solution that could be used by any ferry operator, and we hope it is adopted elsewhere in the market.”