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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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Quarantine, hold and release, and photo condition reporting
A cargo hold stops doubtful goods before they move on. In our Milton Keynes warehouse we hold suspect loads, quarantine…
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Returns and reverse logistics from the UK | OTSL
Returns piling up at a UK address with no plan for what happens next? In our Milton Keynes warehouse we run reverse…
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Co-packing, kitting and bundling in the UK | OTSL
Need products joined into sets, promotional multipacks or display-ready bundles before they hit a UK shelf? In our…
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Re-labelling and barcodes for UK retail (GS1, SSCC, retailer compliance)
A UK supermarket or Amazon rejected your delivery over a missing or wrong label? In our Milton Keynes warehouse we…
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Cargo condition and contamination inspection: leaks, spillage, fluid ingress, collapsed load
Something in the trailer leaked, spilled, or the load collapsed and fluid soaked into neighbouring pallets? Before the…
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Handling unusual and non-standard freight in a UK warehouse
Have something an ordinary warehouse will not touch: an odd shape, a single oversized item, fragile or mixed goods that…
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Pallet stacking and double-stacking in a UK warehouse: safe height and weight
Want to fit more pallets into the same floor space or the same trailer, but worried the bottom layer will crush? In our…
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Trade Fair Logistics Targi Lublin: Stand Structure and Exhibits
Technical guide on exhibition logistics for Targi Lublin in Lublin, Poland. Learn how to arrange stand equipment and…
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Pallet exchange and swap, EUR and UK pallet pool | OTSL
A load on the wrong pallet, or on a damaged one, does not have to derail a UK delivery. In our Milton Keynes warehouse…
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Pallet re-stow and load re-arrangement on the vehicle, UK
A load that shifts in transit becomes an axle-weight and safety problem, not just a tidiness one. In our Milton Keynes…
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First UK export for a small business: we guide you by the hand
A small business is sending goods to the United Kingdom for the first time and does not know where to start: EORI…
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Recovery of abandoned or stranded cargo abroad | OTSL
The load stopped en route: the carrier abandoned the job, the vehicle broke down, the driver will not go on or got…
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Trade Fair Logistics for Telenor Arena in Fornebu
A guide to arranging transport, customs clearance, and unloading for trade fair stand structures and exhibits at…
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Out-of-hours transport: nights, weekends and holidays | OTSL
The deadline falls on a Saturday, the delivery must be there for Monday opening, and the line runs at night? When…
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Delivery to hard-to-reach places: no dock, city centre, time windows, ULEZ
A delivery address with no dock, a narrow city-centre street, a low emission zone in London, a time window for…
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Single pallet transport to the UK and small quantities, when others want full loads
You have one pallet or a few cartons to send to the United Kingdom, and carriers only reply about full loads? We carry…
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Customs clearance with incomplete or wrong documents: what we do
Documents for clearance are missing, invoice data does not match, the tariff code is uncertain and the sender has no…
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Fair logistics: deliveries to Telford International Centre
Delivery of trade fair stands and exhibits to Telford International Centre (TF3 4JH). Customs procedures, ATA Carnet…
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Transport for stand-build crews at trade fairs: delivery so the crew does not wait
The stand build travels to the fair, the build crew waits on site, and the build-up window lasts a few hours. If the…
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Sanitary inspection of a food cargo after a trailer breach (EHO / HACCP)
A broken seal, signs that unauthorised people entered, or damage to a trailer carrying food is not only a customs…
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Trailer inspection after clandestine entrants: procedure and driver checklist
A driver checklist after clandestine entrants are found in the trailer, and the practical course of inspecting the…
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UV inspection and UVC decontamination of cargo in a UK warehouse
UV light reveals traces invisible to the naked eye, and UVC radiation lowers the number of micro-organisms on a…
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Damaged pallet repair and rebuilding in a UK warehouse
Pallets shifted in transit, boards cracked, the wrap let go and the load leaned on the trailer? In our Milton Keynes…
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Trade Fair Logistics for Three Counties Showground in Malvern
Logistics guide for transporting exhibition stands and exhibits to Three Counties Showground in Malvern…
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E-commerce transport and logistics to the United Kingdom: returns, VAT and the 135 GBP threshold
Mail-order sales to the UK after Brexit mean B2C and B2B models, the 135 GBP consignment value threshold, GB VAT…
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Customs abbreviations glossary: CDS, GMR, GVMS, T1, EORI and the rest of the border alphabet
CDS, GMR, GVMS, MRN, ENS, EORI, EX, EAD, T1, T2, EUR.1, REX, ATA, LRN, C88/SAD, HS, CN, EIDR, CFSP. We gathered the…
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Trade fair logistics: transporting stands and exhibits to Trondheim Spektrum
Rules for organising logistics of exhibition stands and equipment to Trondheim Spektrum in Norway, including customs…
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Transport to trade fairs in Germany: deadlines, slots and stand logistics
Germany is the largest trade fair market in Europe. We show how unloading slots and hall regulations work, why a…
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Cold storage warehouse in the UK: keeping and handling goods under controlled temperature
The OTSL warehouse in Milton Keynes handles goods under controlled temperature: receipt from reefer trailers…
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Customs clearance for transport to Norway step by step
Norway is in the EEA but outside the EU customs union, so transport from Poland needs the full customs path. Step by…
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Transport to Ireland: direct ferry or the landbridge through Great Britain
You can reach Ireland on a direct ferry from France or drive the landbridge through Great Britain. We compare both…
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Trade fair logistics: delivery to Venue Cymru in Llandudno
Learn how to organise stand delivery and customs procedures for events at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, UK.
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Trade Fair Logistics for Westpoint Exeter Venue
How to organize stand construction and exhibit transport to Westpoint Exeter in England. Overview of UK customs…
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Trade fair logistics: delivery to Yorkshire Event Centre
Rules for delivering booth elements and exhibits to Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate, UK customs requirements, and…
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Construction site delivery with crane unloading: how to plan it
A delivery of materials to a construction site succeeds when it is planned around the place, not the truck. We explain…
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Abnormal load transport: permit categories, escort vehicles and clearance
In Poland an oversized movement needs a permit in one of five categories (I-V) and, above certain dimensions, escort…
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