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Knowledge base
Guides
Practical guides on transport to the UK, customs clearance, exhibition logistics and warehousing.
What is in the OTSL knowledge base?
The OTSL knowledge base is practical articles on international road freight: customs clearance and border procedures (SIVEP, GMR, PBN, ATA carnet), transport to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Switzerland, trade fair logistics, warehousing and returns. We cover the real risks and how to prevent them before they hit your cargo.
Articles are coming soon.
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Direct or indirect customs representation: what you sign in the empowerment and who owes the customs debt
The representation box in a customs empowerment decides who pays post-clearance duty and VAT. Direct representation…
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Food exports to Switzerland: tariff quotas and prohibitive agri duties
Switzerland scrapped industrial import duties, but food is a different game: agri-food products are protected by WTO…
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Cost of transport to Norway: what makes up the rate and what the border adds
Freight is only the starting point: every shipment to Norway crosses a customs border that does not exist inside the…
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UK food labels: the FBO address rule and the „Not for EU” mark explained
Since 1 January 2024, prepacked food sold in Great Britain must carry a UK address of the food business operator or…
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How many tonnes fit on a semi-trailer: payload, the 40-tonne limit and the “24 tonnes” myth
A 40-tonne gross weight limit does not mean 24 tonnes of cargo. The empty combination, axle load limits and the weight…
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How long customs clearance takes and what happens at an inspection: selection, scan, full examination
A complete declaration lodged before the truck arrives is released in minutes. Selection for control changes…
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What you cannot send to the UK: banned and restricted goods in road freight
Pepper spray, certain knives, products of animal origin, plants, alcohol, medicines, dual-use items, lithium batteries…
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Commercial invoice and packing list for customs: what they must contain so the truck keeps moving
A description like spare parts, an internal part number instead of a product name, a missing EORI or weight: enough to…
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Trailer seals and the sealing protocol: seal types, ISO 17712, the CMR entry and the breach procedure
A seal costs pennies and settles disputes worth as much as the load. Seal types and ISO 17712 classes, the seal number…
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Dual-use goods and export licences: when a CNC machine needs a permit
A CNC machine tool, an industrial laser, an encryption module: civilian goods can be controlled as dual-use items. EU…
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ADR tunnel codes: tunnel categories A to E and route planning
Tunnel categories A to E under Chapter 8.6 of ADR decide where dangerous goods may travel. We explain where the tunnel…
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VAT on international transport invoices: 0%, NP or 23%?
NP with reverse charge, 0% backed by documents, 23% at the standard rate: three ways VAT appears on a transport invoice…
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Freight forwarder, carrier, broker: who is legally liable for what
The carrier is liable for the goods themselves, the freight forwarder for diligent organisation and carrier selection…
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CBAM and steel or aluminium imports into the EU: the free reporting phase is over
Since 1 January 2026 CBAM has moved from free reporting to real settlement: importing steel and aluminium into the EU…
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Loading metres (LDM) in freight pricing: how forwarders charge for space and weight
Per loading metre or per kilogram? Forwarders price part loads on the higher of two values: actual weight or chargeable…
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Postponed VAT Accounting: UK import VAT without paying at the border
A UK buyer does not have to pay import VAT at the border: Postponed VAT Accounting moves the tax onto the VAT Return…
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Moving alcohol from Poland to the UK: excise duty, EMCS and the e-AD step by step
Alcohol leaves Poland for the UK under excise duty suspension only from a tax warehouse, on an e-AD with an ARC number…
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UKCA or CE: product marking when exporting to Great Britain
After Brexit the GB market was meant to switch to UKCA, but the UK government extended recognition of CE marking…
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How to read a freight quote: what the rate includes and what you pay extra for
All-in or base rate? We explain which items in a freight quote are usually billed separately: detention beyond free…
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The Euro pallet (EPAL) in practice: dimensions, load capacity and how many fit on a trailer
A Euro pallet measures 1200 x 800 x 144 mm, weighs about 25 kg and carries up to 1500 kg. A 13.6 m trailer floor takes…
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Can a small business with no experience ship a pallet to England? A plain-language guide from first message to delivery
A small business can move a pallet between Poland and England without any prior experience: an EORI number, a…
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Consignee refuses the goods at unloading: what happens to the load and who pays
The consignee turns your truck away at the ramp? The CMR Convention has a procedure for that: the carrier asks the…
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Temperature disputes in refrigerated transport: who is right when the consignee claims the cold chain was broken
The consignee rejects the delivery and claims the cold chain was broken. We explain what the thermograph printout…
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Groupage (LTL): what travels next to your pallet and why it matters
Cheap groupage has a side the salesperson skips: other shippers' goods on the same trailer and several terminal…
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Contractual penalties in transport orders: the clauses everyone signs without reading
Late delivery penalties, cancellation charges, no-contact clauses, document penalties: the transport order clauses…
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Road tolls in Europe: what this part of the freight rate contains
What European road tolls are made of and why they raise the transport rate.
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Invoice redirection fraud in freight (BEC, bank account swap)
How invoice redirection fraud works in freight and how not to lose a payment.
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Freight Framework Contract: Clauses You Must Check
Signing a standing freight-forwarding contract and unsure where the risk sits? A framework contract governs the whole…
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DDP: I bought it, then got a duty and VAT bill
DDP reads like a no-surprises guarantee, yet an incomplete DDP ends with a duty and import VAT bill landing on the…
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Carrier Insolvency In Transit: Where Is Your Cargo
Your carrier has gone insolvent and your load is stuck somewhere on the road. Where the trailer physically sits, who…
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Spot vs Contract Rates: Why Freight Prices Jump | OTSL
A spot rate is the live market price that reacts to demand, truck supply, season and fuel. A contract rate is fixed for…
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When cargo is legally lost (CMR Article 20) | OTSL
Cargo that fails to arrive is not automatically lost in the eyes of the law. The CMR Convention sets a precise moment…
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Can I clear customs myself, or do I need a broker?
A company can legally lodge its own customs declaration if it has an EORI number and system access. No licence is…
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First-time export outside the EU: where to start
Exporting outside the EU for the first time and unsure where to begin? We walk the path step by step: EORI number…
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Proforma vs commercial invoice: which for customs
A proforma invoice is a non-binding offer used for deposits or shipment pre-advice. A commercial invoice is the…
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EXW for exporters: why it is often a trap
EXW is the Incoterms rule with the seller's bare minimum of duties. For an exporter it can be a trap: the buyer handles…
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