Research and analysis

Road hauliers research of customs processes in 2021 and 2022

Quantitative and qualitative research into road hauliers' experiences of customs processes.

Documents

Road hauliers research of customs processes in 2021 and 2022 - Main report

Road hauliers research of customs processes in 2021 and 2022 - Technical report

Details

This report was commissioned under the Conservative administration (2010 to 2024), and conducted between 2021 and 2022.

Quantitative and qualitative research into road hauliers’ experiences of customs processes in 2021 and 2022.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Research Report 825.

Research conducted by IFF Research between August 2021 and May 2022. Prepared by IFF Research (Alex Pearson, Nicholas Mitchell and Rob Warren) for HMRC.

Disclaimer: The views in this report are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of HM Revenue and Customs

On 1 January 2021 the transition period between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) ended. From this date controls on the movement of goods between Great Britain (GB) and the EU were gradually introduced and the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) took effect. The UK began to operate a full external border in January 2022.  

In the context of these changes to customs controls, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned IFF Research to conduct this research to provide insight into how these changes have impacted road hauliers. The core aims of this research were to understand:   

  • the experience of road hauliers when moving goods between Great Britain and the EU, and Great Britain and Northern Ireland  

  • the preparedness of road hauliers for upcoming changes to customs processes

Updates to this page

Published 15 July 2025

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