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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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Phytosanitary and health certificates: exporting food and plants from Poland, step by step
Exporting food, plants or products of animal origin from Poland? Before the truck moves you need a phytosanitary…
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Intermodal and combined transport: when rail or short-sea beats road for the whole trip
Intermodal, multimodal, combined transport: what the three words actually mean, when shifting the main leg to rail or…
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CEMT permits and road transport: when a Community licence is not enough
A Community licence (Regulation 1072/2009) covers carriage inside the EU and EEA, but outside that area you need…
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Buying Machinery In Situ: Dismantling, Utilities and Removal
Removing machinery bought in situ requires managing utility disconnections, dismantling, site access rules and…
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Machinery Transport from Wilsons Auctions UK to Poland
A comprehensive guide to transporting industrial plant and machinery bought at Wilsons Auctions in the UK to Poland…
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Simplified customs procedure: entry in the declarant's records and simplified declaration
Simplified declaration, entry in the declarant's records (EIDR) and centralised clearance under the Union Customs Code…
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Fiscal clearance and the tax representative: EU import with VAT settled in the country of destination
Fiscal clearance releases goods for free circulation in one EU country with an immediate intra-Community supply to…
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TIR carnet: goods transit outside the European Union | OTSL
A TIR carnet moves goods by road across several countries under a single customs cover and a single guarantee, where EU…
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Lead times and delivery reliability from Poland to the UK: what affects them
A UK buyer planning inbound deliveries from Poland needs a delivery date that holds, not a best case. Driver hours, the…
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Who pays customs duty and VAT when importing from Poland to the UK
A UK buyer's map of who pays what on a Polish import: how the Incoterm decides duty and VAT, why the UK-EU trade deal…
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Groupage and part loads from Poland to the UK: how it works and what drives the cost
You have three pallets, not a full truck. This is how groupage and part loads from Poland to the UK actually work…
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Choosing a Polish freight forwarder or haulier: what a UK importer should check
A UK importer's checklist for vetting a Polish carrier or forwarder: Community Licence, OCP and cargo insurance with…
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After the Hammer Falls: Payment, Documents, and Collection Clock in UK
Detailed guide on payment invoices, buyer's premium, release notes, risk transfer, storage deadlines, and export…
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Transport and Import of a Generator Set from the UK
A practical guide to importing generator sets from the UK. Transport rules, fuel tank draining requirements, and…
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Importing from Poland to the UK: a step-by-step guide for UK buyers
You buy from a Polish supplier and the goods have to clear two customs authorities before they reach your door. This…
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T2L and the customs status of Union goods: how to prove goods are Union goods
Customs status (Union goods, T2L/T2LF) is not the same as preferential origin (EUR.1) or transit (T1/T2). When you need…
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18-pallet tail-lift rigid as an OTSL partner truck: jobs and routes
What jobs an 18-pallet tail-lift rigid gets from OTSL, which routes it runs, and what the forwarder checks with the…
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The Mobility Package: driver posting, minimum wage and why rates went up
The EU Mobility Package brought cross-trade and cabotage under the host-country minimum wage, mandated returns of the…
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Three insurances in road transport: carrier liability, forwarder liability and cargo. Who actually pays for your loss
Carrier liability (OCP), forwarder liability and cargo are three separate policies covering three different things. A…
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Handling symbols on boxes: what the package marks mean (ISO 780)
Umbrella, wine glass, up arrows: the handling symbols in ISO 780 tell the warehouse worker, driver and forklift…
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Winter equipment for trucks in Europe: tyres, chains and country rules
Winter tyres, snow chains and the M+S marking: what a truck really has to carry in winter across Germany, Austria, the…
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Securing cargo in practice: straps, anti-slip mats, blocking bars and corner protectors
A practical guide for loaders: how to secure a load with straps, anti-slip mats, blocking bars and corner protectors…
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Transport and Import of Concrete Mixer Truck from the UK
A practical guide to transporting and clearing a concrete mixer truck from the UK. Learn about CN code 8705 40 and…
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Transporting pharmaceuticals and medical devices: Good Distribution Practice (GDP) in practice
Controlled temperature, vehicle qualification, thermal mapping, continuous monitoring with a record, deviation handling…
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Where is my shipment: track and trace, monitoring and real visibility in road transport
How a forwarder knows where the truck is: GPS telematics, driver status updates, booking-in. Why road transport FTL and…
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Intrastat: when statistical reporting applies to your company
Intrastat is the statistics of goods movements between EU member states, not a customs declaration. See who files after…
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AEO (Authorised Economic Operator): what it is, the benefits and how to obtain it
AEO status is the European Union's customs trust certificate: fewer inspections, priority at the border, easier access…
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Shipping chocolate, cosmetics and candles in summer: what happens in a trailer without a reefer
Chocolate softens, creams separate, candles lose their shape: in summer a curtain-sided trailer gets far hotter than…
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Upholstered furniture into the UK: fire safety rules, permanent labels, rejected deliveries
A sofa without a permanent fire safety label cannot legally be sold in the UK. We explain the Furniture and Furnishings…
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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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Auction Site Collection Deadlines and Storage Fees
Exceeding the auction collection deadline incurs daily storage fees. Discover how proper notification and equipment…
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Transport and Import of Agricultural Tractors from the UK
Guide on transport and customs clearance for agricultural tractors purchased at auctions in the United Kingdom.
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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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Poland to Sweden haulage: Ystad, Trelleborg, Karlskrona or Öresund
Ferry from Świnoujście to Ystad or Trelleborg, from Gdynia to Karlskrona, or land over the Öresund bridge: what decides…
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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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