As we look at the clock, it is 157 days, 11 hours and 59 minutes until Britain leaves the European Union (as far as we know). What do we know? Well that's a difficult question to answer, but we can at least begin to plan for what may (or may not be) happening after Friday 29th March.

Start to Plan

To begin with, it's worth assessing how exposed (directly and indirectly) your company is to any changes. What impact will these changes have on your customers and companies you work with? Equally, what sort of opportunities might you have post-Brexit?

No matter what the outcome, it's worth having contingency plans in place. Review your options and understand what you (as an an individual and company) need to do. You may need to train staff to handle different responsibilities going forward, or maybe you'll need to recruit new staff. Depending on costs, it may also be worth outsourcing some of the new processes you will need to implement.

Once you've got a plan together, work out how you can implement it in the most practical and effective manner. Let everyone know what the plan is (including staff and partners) and begin to roll out the necessary changes throughout your departments, be it IT, logistics, HR etc.

Actions

What you need to do as a business will depends on the industry you work in. However, if we take transport as a whole, it's worth reviewing

• what solutions do you offer?
• do you do cross trade and/or cabotage?
• how many International Driving Permits are you going to need?
• is registering your business in the EU a viable option?
• how will border delays affect your business?
• the status of your UK and non-UK drivers
• your communication channels - stay informed

Other Considerations

There are many things which will continue to be required just as they are now, but it's worth making sure that you haven't forgotten about them

• Insurance
• Customs procedures (may or may not change)
• Illegal immigrants and stowaways

Don't Forget

From the middle of November, a 2 week window begins during which UK-registered international hauliers will be able to apply for European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) international road haulage permits.

By December, the new Trailer Registration system will be ready and companies can begin to register their trailers.

1,968 international driving permits will be available to purchase from around 2,500 post office branches across the UK from the 1st February 2019.

The beginning of March 2019 will see the opening of registration for the EU citizen 'settled status' scheme.

And of course... 29th March 2019, 11pm - Brexit Day.

Thanks to John Lucy at the FTA for the latest information.