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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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ATA Carnet or temporary admission: what to choose for trade fairs and temporary equipment export
OTSL decision guide: when to choose an ATA Carnet and when standard temporary admission for exhibits, stands and…
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FTL or LTL (groupage): when to choose which in road freight
OTSL decision guide: when a full truckload (FTL) pays off and when groupage (LTL) does. How to choose by volume…
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T1 or T2 Transit: When to Use Which and Why Both Get Confused
OTSL decision guide: T1 for non-EU goods with duties suspended, T2 in the context of EU customs status. The choice is…
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Odour and cross-contamination: why a foreign smell disqualifies food and cosmetics
Odour-absorbing products, meaning food, coffee, tea, cosmetics and pet food, can take on a foreign smell from a…
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Shortage and overage at unloading: how to count pallets and protect your claim
When you take delivery, the number of pieces and pallets received must match the transport documents. A shortage…
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Moisture and mould in cargo: when the goods are already lost
Temperature differences inside a trailer or container condense moisture on the walls and roof, from where it drips onto…
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Exhibition Logistics: Delivery of Stand Build and Exhibits to The Convention Centre Dublin
Accessing The Convention Centre Dublin requires navigating city centre traffic. Learn the essential rules for…
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Breakage of fragile cargo: how to segregate, document and safely dispose of it
With fragile cargo a single breakage rarely stops at one item. Shards, spills and pressure can contaminate or damage…
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Cargo after a collision or a rolled-over trailer: inspection and the decision on what happens to the goods
After a road incident, goods can be damaged even when they look fine from the outside. See why a post-accident…
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The damage report in transport: how to draw it up and which evidence to preserve
A damage report is the document which, with photos and a description, records the extent and nature of cargo damage. We…
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How to classify goods correctly: HS/CN codes, BTI and tariff tools
Correct tariff classification starts from the characteristics of the goods, not the invoice name: description, General…
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Transit guarantee: how it works and what happens if transit is not discharged
A transit procedure suspends duty and taxes while goods move, but in return it requires a guarantee. We explain what it…
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Sanitary checks on a load at the UK border: step by step at a control post (BCP)
What a sanitary check on a load at the UK border looks like in practice: documentary, identity and physical checks at a…
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Rules of origin and the EUR.1 certificate: the formal conditions of customs preference
Rules of origin decide whether goods qualify for a preferential duty rate at all. We explain sufficient processing, the…
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Trade Fair Logistics at Coventry Building Society Arena: Transport & Customs
How to efficiently transport stand elements and exhibits to Coventry Building Society Arena in the UK following customs…
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ADR checks at the border and en route: documents, marking and the faults that stop dangerous goods
What an ADR check actually verifies when you move dangerous goods, which documents and marking must match, and the…
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ISPM 15: when a wooden pallet or crate holds your cargo at the border
In trade outside the European Union, wood packaging, meaning pallets, crates and dunnage, must be treated and carry the…
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How to distribute a load to pass the weighbridge: axle weights in practice
A practical guide to load distribution: how to place heavy items on the trailer, how pre-selection and static…
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GVMS and GMR step by step: preparing a movement for the UK border
The GMR is the number without which a driver cannot board a ferry or the Eurotunnel. We walk through how to link…
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Exhibition logistics to Dewars Centre in Perth: booth and exhibit delivery
Practical guide to organizing freight transport and customs clearance for exhibitors shipping equipment to Dewars…
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Incoterms mismatch DAP versus DDP: who really pays customs duty and import VAT
When seller and buyer read the delivery term differently, the border produces an unexpected bill and a held shipment…
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A broken cold chain: why goods become un-sellable before they physically spoil
A temperature excursion recorded by the data logger lets the receiver or the food-safety authority reject the whole…
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ADR spill in transit: what damaged dangerous-goods packaging really costs
A chemical leak, a damaged lithium cell or a breached ADR pallet is not a fender bender. It means neutralisation…
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Trade Fair Logistics East of England Arena Peterborough
How to organise transport of exhibition stands and exhibits to East of England Arena and Events Centre in Peterborough.
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Mis-declared ADR goods: what happens when hazardous cargo travels as an ordinary pallet
When dangerous cargo travels as an ordinary pallet or with the wrong UN number, class or packing group, a roadside…
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Trade Fair Logistics: Transport to Eden Court in Inverness
How to plan freight transport for events at Eden Court in Inverness. Learn about UK customs procedures, routing and…
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Cross-contamination in a food-grade warehouse: one mistake and the whole batch goes to disposal
An allergen on the wrong pallet, chemicals next to food, a pest in the store: one mistake in a food warehouse can write…
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Trade Fair Logistics: Deliveries to EICC in Edinburgh
Technical guide on organising trade fair logistics and customs clearances for events at Edinburgh International…
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Goods expired in the warehouse: who is responsible and how to prevent it
Stock expires in the warehouse when nobody controls rotation and dates. See who is responsible for FIFO/FEFO, what it…
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VOEC mishandled on a Norway shipment: double VAT, returns and a lost customer
When VOEC is mishandled, the Norwegian border charges VAT a second time. The result is double tax, delay, a refused…
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EUR.1 or origin declaration error on shipments to Switzerland: why the Swiss importer pays full duty
One mistake in the preferential origin proof and your Swiss importer loses the zero or reduced rate and pays full…
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Peak season without secured trucks: why "I will book transport at the last minute" is a false economy
In peak season, once market capacity is gone, a last-minute order simply finds no truck. We show what that really costs…
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Carrier's lien for unpaid freight: why your cargo can be held over someone else's debt
A carrier has the right to hold your goods until the freight is paid. If your forwarder never paid the actual haulier…
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Un-discharged T1 transit: the guarantee is drawn and duty plus VAT land on you
When a T1 transit is not discharged in NCTS, the guarantee is drawn and import duty plus VAT fall due on the principal…
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Trade Fair Logistics: Transport to Eikon Exhibition Centre Lisburn
Transporting trade fair stands and exhibits to Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn, UK. Customs procedures, ATA Carnets…
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Machine stuck in a Dutch port: the bill for storage and demurrage
An incomplete import clearance of machinery through the Netherlands can hold the equipment in port for days. Storage…
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