With Brexit just around the corner, nobody can predict what the fallout will be. Having worked in the industry for almost three decades, John Shirley, Founder & MD of John Shirley Ltd., knows this sector as well as any.

As Founder of the international freight forwarder, John has spoken to news teams both locally (BBC Radio Kent, BBC Southeast, Radio 5 LIVE) and nationally (BBC News and the James O Brien Show on LBC), alongside internationalagencies such as Swiss, German and Franco-German Channels (including ARD, SRF and ARTE), sharing his insights on Brexit’s effect on freight operations in Kent and across the UK.

Of particular concern has been the government’s seemingly little understanding of customs operations, appearing poorly informed about the immediate, practical implications of the hard border. Being based right in the port of Dover, John has the unique advantage of an insider perspective, guiding news teams around the ports and introducing them to custom officials.

John Shirley Ltd is an unusual international freight forwarder. Although the team ships around the world, their expertise is the BALKANS, and EASTERN EUROPE, specifically Croatia, Slovakia, Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Czech. Rep, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Belarus, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Ukraine for both FTL and GROUPAGE.

One of the team’s strongest advantages is John’s fluency in Serbo-Croat and conversational Albanian and his ability to communicate directly with the various agencies in the Balkan region.

Charity Shipments

John Shirley Ltd has shipped aid to war-torn countries in support of charitable organisations, including to Bosnia in the 1990s (indirectly on behalf of the British Government), and to countries such as Cyprus and Pakistan. It has even overseen 40HC containers shipped to Africa, including countries such as Malawi, Burundi, Rep. Congo and Lesotho. The company has two decades of experience directing shipments for seasonal charity campaigns.

The team values the importance of timed collections and deliveries, ensuring volunteers are not left waiting, whilst remaining mindful of cost, working within campaign budgets. The team have established Eastern European partners who offer cost-effective transport and are used to timed collections and deliveries. Additionally, these relations have proved a useful asset when shipping film props to various filming locations across Europe to Production Companies.

Music Festival Loads

For the past seven years, John Shirley Limited has been also pleased to provide its services for the Summer festival Season, sending out ‘glamping equipment’ across Europe. Starting from two modest shipments in 2012, this has now multiplied to approximately 60 loads to locations all over Europe.

If you would like to find out more, please visit our website at: http://johnshirleyltd.co.uk/