In early February, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) said that shipment loads on lorries going through British ports to the EU were as much as 68% lower than they were in January 2020.
The initial dip was most likely due to the confusion the new paperwork caused for businesses and freight forwarding companies, which resulted in some initially pulling out of jobs to avoid the hassle and increased costs, and resulted in many cargo shipments being rejected at borders.
The government has also suggested that reduced loads can be the result of business stockpiling in the previous months due to Coronavirus pandemic and in preparation for Brexit. Restrictions placed on economic activity due to Covid-19 meant there were less freights going across the borders and around the country during the winter months, which could have also contributed to lower figures in the cross-Channel trade.
The below graph shows the number of freight vehicles leaving Britain by sea. The blue line represents January 2021 and as the graph demonstrates it shows a substantially lower count on most days as compared to January 2020. As the graph approaches February, we can see the two lines merging.