UK-EU travel limits to be relaxed for international music tours

A newly proposed policy will enable British specialist hauliers to travel between the UK and the EU, allowing easy transportation of equipment for concerts and other cultural events.

Hauliers have been under strict limitations since Brexit, allowing only three stops for each tour. The new policy, expected to take effect from late summer 2022, has been designed in collaboration with the live music, performing arts and sports sectors and applies to haulage companies with a base in the UK and another abroad.

Attempting to find a suitable workaround for the previous limitations, some larger haulage companies opened new branches in Europe with European registered trucks and European licensed drivers. Some smaller companies without the benefit of substantial resources had to limit tours to two stops. 

Although the change is cautiously welcomed by industry experts, it’s not a universal solution to the problem. Speaking to the BBC, Wob Roberts, production manager for Duran Duran and Sam Smith, says that the new rules “will help UK-based tours keep going. But the problem is the smaller operations that couldn’t afford to set up a European arm are still going to be facing the same issues.”