UK logistics firms face a looming crisis as the European Union prepares to enforce its new Entry/Exit System (EES) starting this October.
Designed to digitally track non-EU travelers across Schengen borders, the system could trap professional UK drivers in bureaucratic red tape and out of work.
No room for flexibility
On October 12, 2025, the EU will launch the EES, a biometric border control platform that replaces manual passport stamping with fingerprint and facial recognition scans.
Non-EU nationals—including UK citizens post-Brexit—will have their entries and exits logged digitally across 29 European countries.
The goal is efficiency and security, but for UK logistics, coach, and events businesses, the reality could be blocked borders and canceled contracts.
The system enforces the 90/180 rule, which limits non-EU nationals to 90 days of travel within any rolling 180-day period across the Schengen Area.
Before, officers checked this manually. Now, EES automates enforcement, and doesn’t forget.
UK travelers face new barrier
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) warned that this digital overhaul will severely impact sectors reliant on frequent, short-term EU trips.
Richard Smith, Managing Director of the RHA, called the change “a profound threat” to cross-border jobs and business.
“This will affect hauliers and coach operators on international work,” Smith said. “We need to act now, and it’s why we’re reinforcing our call for a professional driver’s exemption—a visa-free arrangement for people working in sectors that rely on frequent, short-term movement across the EU.”
Without an exemption, many UK drivers could hit their travel limit within weeks. Once they reach 90 days, they’ll be locked out of the Schengen Zone until enough time passes to reset the count.
Industries most at risk
Sectors built on flexible mobility will be hit hardest. Among them:
- Coach travel for tourism and group trips across Europe
- Live event logistics, including staging, rigging, and transport for concerts, festivals, and theater tours
- Freight and haulage, especially just-in-time delivery across EU borders
According to the RHA, a recent survey showed that over half of affected businesses expect to reduce EU trips, and many plan staff cuts.
UK event crews, once the gold standard for major European tours, now face being edged out.
No exceptions, no grace period
While the UK has introduced its own version—called Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)—it doesn’t mirror the EES in full. The ETA allows up to six months of stay but lacks biometric tracking.
Crucially, neither system offers exceptions for professional drivers.
That means that UK drivers face automated EES enforcement months before similar rules impact EU drivers coming into Britain, raising complaints of unfair treatment.
The EES also brings automatic penalties for overstays, unlike the current manual setup that occasionally allows for negotiation or appeal at the border.
Call to action gains urgency
In response, the RHA launched a campaign urging UK businesses, operators, and individual drivers to contact their MPs and demand a professional driver’s exemption.
“UK events operators are world-leading in their field,” the RHA said. “But that’s now under threat—and so is other international work.”
The association is also collaborating with trade bodies and lobbying MPs and government departments to raise awareness ahead of the October enforcement date.
Bringing old rules into new age
The EES isn’t just about driver data. It represents a broader EU push to digitize border controls.
By eliminating stamps and moving to a central database, the system aims to modernize Schengen security, prevent overstays, and streamline entry checks.
Each entry or exit will trigger biometric registration, with facial scans and fingerprinting becoming standard at airports, seaports, and land borders.
Over time, the EU expects faster processing and fewer identity abuses, but flexibility disappears with it.
Business fallout spreads beyond roads
The RHA said that the UK’s post-Brexit logistics model was already under pressure from customs delays, labor shortages, and rising costs. Now, the EES adds a new, digital barrier, one that hits movement, not just goods.
This could make British hauliers less competitive, especially compared to EU-based companies with drivers exempt from the 90/180 rule.
UK-based firms may need to hire European staff, open foreign offices, or cancel EU contracts altogether.
Some experts fear that smaller firms—especially family-owned operations—may fold entirely if cross-border work dries up.
A narrow window to act
With the EES set to start in just two months, time is running out. The full implementation deadline is April 10, 2026, but phased enforcement means delays and penalties could arrive much sooner for unprepared operators.
“We’re working with operators and trade bodies, and lobbying MPs and government departments to raise awareness,” Smith said. “We need to protect businesses and people’s jobs.”
The industry isn’t asking for a blank check—only fair recognition of drivers as essential cross-border workers, whose livelihoods depend on flexibility.
Border stays grow shorter, paperwork grows longer
The EES puts new pressure on short-term travelers, who must now strictly observe the 90/180-day limit without flexibility. Long-term visitors and migrants are unaffected by the rule itself but face stricter border checks and possible delays.
Combined with the upcoming European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) launch in late 2026—an added layer for visa-free travelers—the shift points to a tightening loop around short-term mobility in Europe.
Both systems signal a future where travel is more digitized, but also more monitored. Even repeat tourists or digital nomads will need to carefully track their time or risk automatic penalties.
Schengen border policy grows sharper
With EES, EU countries gain tools to enforce short-stay limits without relying on manual checks. This makes overstay detection automatic, leaving little room for discretion or diplomacy.
As a result, national immigration policy becomes less flexible and more aligned with centralized EU systems. The lack of professional exemptions for drivers also shows a hardening stance, prioritizing security and system integrity over labor mobility.
It’s a shift toward consistency over compassion, leaving few options for tailoring entry rules to sector-specific needs.
Professional drivers need flexibility
With the EES set to launch this October, the clock is ticking for logistics and event operators who rely on seamless cross-border travel.
The heart of the matter? Without a professional driver’s exemption, the rigid enforcement of the 90/180-day rule could severely disrupt international work, put jobs at risk, and strain key industries like haulage and live events logistics.
The call for a visa-free arrangement for professional drivers isn’t just about convenience; it’s about protecting livelihoods and keeping cross-border supply chains flowing.