(Bloomberg) -- U.K. truckers will be able to apply for special permits to ease border crossings in the event of a no-deal Brexit. But there's a catch: fewer than 1,000 annual certificates will be issued and they'll be awarded partly according to chance.
The ECMTs, or international road haulage permits, will provide greater flexibility for haulers once Britain leaves the European Union and in the short term should also guarantee market access as new arrangements are being negotiated, according to guidance from the Department for Transport.
With only 984 annual and 2,592 monthly permits due to be available even for the lowest-emission vehicles, demand is likely to outstrip supply, the department said. That means they'll go mainly to trucking firms with the greatest number of trips in the busiest sectors such as food products, car parts, chemicals and metals.
In addition, there'll also be an “element of weighted random selection” to ensure that small and medium-sized operators don't completely miss out.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Jasper in London at cjasper@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, John Bowker
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