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Knowledge base
Knowledge base
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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Exhibition logistics: delivery to Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge
Organising exhibition logistics for the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge requires handling UK customs…
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One-tonne bags of plastic granules: realigning a leaning load
26 pallet positions of plastic granules in 1-tonne bulk bags shifted in transit, leaving heavy bags leaning where a…
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Biscuits: a light load that crushes itself when it leans
33 pallets of packaged biscuits arrived with stacks leaning against each other after motorway braking. Biscuits weigh…
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Mineral water: when the heaviest grocery pallet meets torn wrap
26 pallets of bottled water arrived with leaning stacks after hard braking. Water is among the heaviest loads in…
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A juice load that needed order, not refrigeration
26 pallets of bottled juice arrived with leaning stacks and torn wrap after a hard stop in transit. No cold chain to…
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Restacking frozen meat at minus 18, where nothing can wait
A frozen trailer of 26 pallets of meat arrived with five stacks leaning after a shift in transit. Frozen product cannot…
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Energy drinks stacked high: rebuilding a leaning can load
26 pallets of canned energy drinks arrived with six stacks leaning and wrap torn. Cans are stacked tall to fill the…
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24 pallets of dairy, a halted unload and a shelf-life clock
A refrigerated trailer of milk, yoghurt and cream reached a supermarket distribution centre with six pallets leaning…
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Trade Fair Logistics at Royal Highland Centre Edinburgh
Discover how to arrange exhibition transport to Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, manage UK customs clearance and…
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Restacking a chilled dairy load inside the cold, at +3 degrees
A refrigerated trailer of 33 Euro pallets of chilled dairy arrived with unstable stacks after a load shift. The fridge…
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Restacking 52 pallets of chocolate without letting it warm up
A trailer of 52 double-stacked pallets of boxed chocolate arrived unsafe to unload after motorway braking. The rebuild…
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Rebuilding a collapsed double-stacked load of canned vegetables
A full trailer of double-stacked canned vegetables collapsed forward under emergency braking and was refused at a…
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Pallet restacking after a load shift: beer in glass bottles
A curtain-sider with 26 UK pallets of bottled beer reached a distribution centre with stacks leaning after hard…
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Trailer breach on the road: driver safety first, load recovery second
What a driver should do the moment a trailer breach is suspected, how the load is recovered afterwards, and why fines…
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Trailer breach inspection: the procedure we follow, step by step
What actually happens when a breached trailer arrives at our warehouse: securing the vehicle, documenting the entry…
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How much it costs to enter the UK market with your own product
An offer in English, fairs or outreach, samples, certification, EORI, the logistics of first deliveries and returns: we…
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Trade fair logistics: Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells
Learn how to efficiently arrange transport and customs clearance for stand fittings and exhibits bound for the Royal…
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How Polish manufacturers find buyers in the UK: channels, costs, mistakes
Trade fairs, distributors, direct outreach, B2B platforms and tenders: five channels through which a Polish…
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Contaminated load inspection after a trailer breach, example scenario
A trailer reached a Midlands distribution centre with fluid spills, discarded clothing and food waste inside after…
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Contaminated load after unauthorised trailer entry near Calais, example scenario
When people enter a trailer in transit, the load becomes legally suspect even if nothing looks damaged. Why deliveries…
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Certified disposal of a rejected food load via anaerobic digestion, example scenario
A 26-pallet food load failed quality checks at a Midlands distribution centre and could not re-enter the supply chain…
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Repackaging a food load after brine leakage, example scenario
A full trailer of jarred pickled fish was rejected at a UK distribution centre after brine leaked in transit and soaked…
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Load recovery after pest infestation in a flour load, example scenario
A trailer with 26 pallets of flour products was rejected at a Midlands distribution centre over signs of pest activity…
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What UK returns handling costs: the factors behind the price
You will not find a price list here, because the honest answer is: it depends. What you will find is the full list of…
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Trade fair logistics: stand and exhibit delivery to Sandown Park
Organising transport to Sandown Park in Esher requires customs clearance management and aligning slot times with…
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Unsold or returned stock in the UK: your options without a warehouse there
The season ended, a contract fell through or returns piled up, and you have stock in the United Kingdom with nowhere to…
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Amazon UK FBM returns: local address, prepaid label or returnless refund
You sell on Amazon UK under FBM and ship from outside the United Kingdom? Amazon requires one of three return options…
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Exhibition Logistics: SEC Glasgow Stand and Exhibits Transport
Plan your trade fair transport and customs procedures for the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow with UK customs…
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Trade Fair Logistics: Silverstone Towcester Deliveries
How to arrange stand delivery and exhibit transport to the Silverstone venue in Towcester? Learn about UK customs…
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Booking-in for deliveries in the UK: how it works and how not to lose a slot
British warehouses accept goods only in agreed time windows. We explain how booking-in works, which details are needed…
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Multi-temperature storage: ambient, chilled and frozen, UK
Different goods need different temperatures, and moving a load between three warehouses to get them wastes time and…
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Trade Fair Logistics to Staffordshire County Showground Stafford
Guide to trade fair transport, customs procedures, and stand fitting logistics for events at Staffordshire County…
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Certified disposal of rejected and damaged goods, documented and compliant
When stock cannot be sold, disposing of it is a legal duty, not an afterthought. From our Milton Keynes warehouse we…
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Emergency cross-docking (rapid load transfer, UK)
When a vehicle fails, a driver runs out of hours or a load has to leave a broken-down trailer right now, a stalled…
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Food-safe storage and handling in the UK (food-grade warehouse operations)
Food does not forgive a dirty floor, a mixed pallet or a broken temperature. In Milton Keynes we operate to food-safe…
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Trade fair logistics at Stavanger Forum: transport of stands and exhibits
Practical guide to organising trade fair transport and customs clearance for events held at the Stavanger Forum venue…
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