Obligations and definitions of different actors
Information about the obligations and definitions of different actors.
The haulier is the business that is employed in the transport of goods or materials by road.
For Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) purposes, the haulage company and haulier are the same entity. The haulage companies are responsible for inputting all vehicle and declaration reference numbers into GVMS to create a goods movement reference (GMR).
They then employ the driver of the vehicle carrying the goods as the haulier. This can be a driver and vehicle employed and owned directly by that company, or a third-party driver and vehicle employed from an outside source.
The haulier provides transport of goods by road. This may be domestic transport, for example, from the point of entry into a country to the consignee location, or across international borders. They can also deliver goods across sea borders in combination with a carrier such as is the case for Eurotunnel or roll on roll off (RoRo) ports.
It is the haulier’s responsibility to check the status of the GMR during the crossing. If the GMR is held, they must follow the instructions and directions provided, and attend for inspection at Border Force or an Inland Border Facility.
The carrier is the operator of the active means of transport on, or in, which the goods are brought into the customs territory. They can operate using various modes of transport, including sea, air, rail and road.
Carrier in the GVMS context
In terms of GVMS, the carrier is the ferry operator or Eurotunnel. They have the connection to the carrier API and are responsible for submitting the check-in notification on arrival at port and the embarkation notification at the point of no return once the vessel or train departs. They will turn away any vehicle that turns up at the port without a valid GMR.
At some ports that operate an integrated model of customs control, the embarkation notification will be issued by the community system provider on behalf of the carrier.