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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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Amazon pallet requirements in the UK: how to build a pallet that gets in
Pallet standard, height limit, wrap, labels and load weight: the rules are stable, the numbers change in Seller…
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Rejected Amazon FBA delivery: the usual causes and plan B
FBA sites turn trucks away over missing appointments, bad labels and non-compliant pallets. Here is what happens to the…
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Exhibition Logistics: Stand Delivery to Międzynarodowe Targi Łódzkie
Learn how to organise the transport of exhibition stand structures and exhibits to Międzynarodowe Targi Łódzkie in Łódź…
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What a freight ferry booking includes and why the driver cannot buy a ticket at the gate
A ferry reservation for a truck is not a ticket like the one for a car. We take a freight booking apart: freight…
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ADR transport documents: transport document, instructions in writing, certificates
Who issues the ADR transport document, what the driver must carry in the cab and why a company needs a DGSA adviser. A…
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Dover-Calais or the east coast ports: which corridor for which delivery
The short strait via Dover is not the only way into Great Britain. Sailings from Rotterdam, Zeebrugge and Hoek van…
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ADR classes in groupage: what an ordinary carrier will not take
Nine classes of dangerous goods, mixed loading prohibitions and quantities that add up per truck. A practical review of…
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Ferries to Scandinavia: routes from Polish ports
Swinoujscie-Ystad, Swinoujscie-Trelleborg and Gdynia-Karlskrona: three classic crossings for trucks heading north from…
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Limited quantities (LQ): when dangerous goods travel without full ADR
Aerosols, paints and cosmetics travel in the LQ regime every day. The mechanics of limited quantities, what the LQ…
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Storm and a cancelled crossing: what happens to the cargo and the deadline
Wind closes the port, the operator cancels sailings and the loaded truck sits in a queue. Here is what the forwarder…
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Shipping lithium batteries: UN 3480 and UN 3481 in practice
Batteries on their own or batteries in equipment: every shipment starts with that question. The difference between UN…
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Ferry or Eurotunnel: how we choose the crossing for a truck
The Dover-Calais ferry and the Eurotunnel shuttle between Folkestone and Coquelles serve the same corridor, yet they…
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ADR transport to the UK after Brexit: documents on both sides of the border
ADR did not disappear with Brexit; customs clearance was added on top. How dangerous goods travel from Poland to the UK…
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Trade Fair Logistics MTP Poznań: Stand Fittings & Exhibits
Learn how to arrange the delivery of stand fittings and exhibits to the Poznań International Fair. Discover steps…
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Deliveries to automotive plants in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Germany: booking and unloading windows
Plants accept trucks only in booked windows, reserved in the receiver's systems. How booking works, what a missed slot…
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Load securing: who is liable, the carrier or the shipper
The goods shifted in the trailer and there is damage. Who pays? We explain what Article 17 of the CMR Convention says…
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Express to the line: when a van is enough and when you need a dedicated truck for parts
Weight, volume, distance and what exactly is at stake: the criteria for choosing between an express van and a dedicated…
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How to fill in a CMR consignment note step by step: who writes what and where
The CMR note is the proof of the carriage contract and the first document everyone reaches for in a dispute. We go box…
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Returnable packaging in automotive: KLT, Gitterbox and settling the loop
KLT containers and steel Gitterboxes circulate between supplier and plant in a closed loop. How the exchange works…
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Dedicated truck or part load: when paying extra pays off
A part load wins on price, a dedicated truck on the deadline and safety. We break the difference into factors…
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Trade fair logistics for NAEC Stoneleigh in Kenilworth
Organising stand fittings and exhibit transport for events at NAEC Stoneleigh in Kenilworth. Customs procedures and UK…
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JIT and JIS in freight practice: the difference and what it means for transport
Just-in-time means delivery in a time window, just-in-sequence adds assembly order. Both models explained from the…
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Driver hours vs the delivery deadline: how far a truck really gets in 24 and 48 hours
Regulation 561/2006 sets the limits on driving, breaks and rest, and those limits set real delivery dates. We turn the…
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What a production line stoppage costs and how transport prevents it
Contractual penalties clocked from downtime, special freight billed to whoever caused it, and a hit to the supplier…
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What an FTL from Poland to Germany or the UK costs: the anatomy of the rate
Instead of a price list that would be stale within a week, we take the FTL rate apart: fuel, tolls, driver time, the…
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Tilt, mega or curtainsider: which trailer type for which cargo
The three most common trailer builds in road transport differ in height, loading method and availability. Here is how a…
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Delivery of booth structures and exhibits to National Show Centre
A technical guide to trade fair logistics for deliveries to the National Show Centre in Swords, covering transport…
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Trade fair logistics Nova Spektrum in Lillestrøm: transport & customs
How to organize the delivery of booth construction and exhibition goods to the Nova Spektrum venue in Lillestrøm…
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Exhibition Logistics for Olma Messen St. Gallen in Switzerland
Discover the requirements for transporting trade fair equipment and exhibits to the Olma Messen St. Gallen…
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Trade fair logistics: delivering stand structures to Olympia London
Planning to exhibit at Olympia London? Discover how to handle stand fittings, temporary export, customs clearance, and…
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Trade fair logistics to Oslo Spektrum: booth structures and exhibits
A practical guide on organising transport and customs procedures for deliveries to trade fairs at the Oslo Spektrum…
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Anuga in Cologne: exhibitor logistics for the food fair
Anuga is the food industry fair at the Koelnmesse grounds. Part of the challenge is the cold chain: samples and…
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Spring Fair at the NEC Birmingham: a fair beyond the customs border
Spring Fair is the home and gift fair at the NEC Birmingham. Since Brexit this trip is a customs operation: clearance…
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Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg: transport to the toy fair
Spielwarenmesse is the Nuremberg toy fair. Lots of smalls, cartons and oddly shaped displays that must arrive complete…
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Ambiente in Frankfurt: exhibitor logistics for the consumer goods fair
Ambiente is the consumer goods fair at the Messe Frankfurt grounds. Heavy delivery traffic in short assembly windows…
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Salone del Mobile in Milan: transporting furniture to the biggest design fair
Salone del Mobile is the Milan furniture fair. For Polish producers it is the trip where two of our specialisations…
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