But while the system could become more efficient in the coming months as teething troubles are addressed, it is unlikely to become significantly less bureaucratic after Britain leaves the European Union’s customs union and single market.
That inevitably means millions more forms will be required of exporters, and the government, which has urged exporters to broaden their horizons and seek markets outside Europe, has warned for months to prepare for post-Brexit trading conditions.
But for Mr Knight from Oban, no amount of preparation can insure against the possibility of his perishable product being stuck for hours behind other vehicles in a queue awaiting inspection on arrival at a French port.
French officials are trying their best, he says, and two of his trucks have succeeded. But they traveled during the holiday season when traffic was unusually light, a situation that is about to change.
Given the small market for his premium shellfish in the UK, Mr Knight said the only way to keep his business afloat was to keep playing with the cross-channel export trade, even if the odds were against him.
“Eventually we hit the wrong key on the computer or the wrong date is written on a document,” he said. “It’s not a question of if they’re going to get me, it’s a question of when.”
