It’s looking increasingly likely that Britain’s long-awaited exit from the European Union on January 1st will significantly disrupt the supply chain and logistics industries. Having seen the chaos that ensued when international borders were forced to close at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – resulting in longer border crossing times and widespread delays to thousands of shipments – businesses must prepare for further disruption in 2021.

To ensure resilience and flexibility, businesses must be able to see exactly what’s happening across their supply chains. This is where real-time visibility is essential. Integrations between transport management systems, truck telematics and mapping data can eliminate blind spots across logistics networks, enabling businesses to identify potential issues such as shipment delays early and prevent more costly disruptions further down the line. Powered by AI technology, real-time operational insights into which trucks are stuck at borders can help businesses react in a fast and informed way. This can also be supplemented by predictive analytics to ensure more effective planning.

This could significantly ease congestion at European borders in 2021, ensuring that shippers and carriers are able to get vital resources and products to where they need to be. With the right technology and infrastructure in place, businesses will be better placed to weather the Brexit storm over the coming months and beyond.