Check out below for the latest MGC & Logistics News…
Northern Ireland traders: 20th October is approaching…
HMRC announced that the new Trader Support Service platform goes live next month, with all goods movements from 20th October 2026 needing to be submitted through the new TSS platform. Businesses are being encouraged to pre-enrol.
What’s changing?
The new TSS platform replaces the current system for NI goods movements.
Who needs to take action?
Any business moving goods to, from or through Northern Ireland.
What businesses need to do before 20th October?
Pre-enrol through the GOV.UK website, update your systems and ensure your team are prepared.
What happens if you haven’t prepared?
Delays, disruption and potential compliance issues.
Where MGC can help?
We can help your business with upcoming changes and ensure your business is ready.
Customs Compliance remains critical…
Our expert advice Jeff Gunn ITAR Consultant: Review your CDS entries…
ECJU’s latest Notice to Exporters (2026/13) The update introduces a requirement for exporters using OGELs and GEAs to enter their licence reference in Data Element 2/3 Box 44 of the Customs Declaration System (CDS). This isn’t a suggestion or a best‑practice reminder; it is being written directly into the licence conditions themselves.
The obligation becomes auditable, and evidence of correct CDS entries will be expected during an ECJU site visit. For logistics providers and their customers, this is the moment to check how declarations are being handled.
The legal responsibility remains with the exporter, not the agent.
New tachograph requirements for the EU from July 2026…
From 1 July 2026, vans and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) with weights of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes that are used for international commercial freight transport or cabotage must be fitted with a second-generation smart tachograph (known as Smart Tachograph 2 or G2V2).
Until now, tachograph requirements only applied to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. From this summer, the threshold drops to 2.5 tonnes for cross-border commercial operations. The drivers of these vehicles will also become subject to the same driving time and rest period rules that currently apply to HGV drivers under EU Regulation 561/2006.
The new rules apply to vehicles that meet all three of the following criteria:
- Vehicle weight: The van (or van-and-trailer combination) has a gross vehicle weight / MAM exceeding 2.5 tonnes.
- International transport: The vehicle is being used for cross-border freight transport between countries, or for cabotage (domestic transport within another country by a non-resident operator).
- Commercial carriage: The goods are being carried for hire or reward — meaning someone is paying for the transport service.
It is not the vehicle class itself, but the commercial purpose and type of transport operation that indicate the need for a tachograph.
A Small Box, a Big Obligation: New Rules for OGEL and GEA Users
By Jeff Gunn PCQI MIExCP Export Control, ITAR Consultant
Some regulatory updates arrive with fanfare. Others adjust a single field in a system and, almost overnight, create a compliance gap that many operators won’t spot until it’s too late. ECJU’s latest Notice to Exporters (2026/13) sits firmly in the second category.
The update introduces a requirement for exporters using OGELs and GEAs to enter their licence reference in Data Element 2/3 Box 44 of the Customs Declaration System (CDS). This isn’t a suggestion or a best‑practice reminder; it is being written directly into the licence conditions themselves. As those amended licences are released, the obligation becomes auditable, and evidence of correct CDS entries will be expected during an ECJU site visit.
For logistics providers and their customers, this is the moment to check how declarations are being handled. Exporters must supply the correct licence reference and make sure their forwarder or agent is instructed to enter it. If the reference is missed, it can be corrected before clearance, but once the shipment has cleared, a C1700 amendment will be required. Either way, the legal responsibility remains with the exporter, not the agent. Where a forwarder submits declarations on a customer’s behalf, it is sensible to request the export entry reference or, better still, a copy of the CDS declaration. This provides both assurance that the licence reference has been entered correctly and a record that can be held as evidence of licence use.
There is, however, a longer‑term benefit. Once this requirement is fully implemented across the relevant licences, CDS will be able to record licence usage automatically against the exporter’s registration. When ECJU confirms that the system is ready, this should remove the need for exporters to manually report licence usage in their annual returns. ECJU will notify users through the NTE system when that functionality is live and which licences it applies to.
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