Boris Johnson has only a matter of weeks to provide clarity on new trading arrangements with Europe to avoid disruption, delays and possible job losses at the end of the year, business groups have warned.

Three days on from the UK’s formal departure from the EU, the prime minister is to use a high-profile speech on Monday to set out his plans to negotiate a comprehensive free trade agreement to an unprecedentedly tight deadline of 31 December, which he insists he will not extend.

Addressing ambassadors and industry leaders, Mr Johnson will say that “no achievement lies beyond our reach”, as he sets out No 10’s priorities for the imminent trade talks, including no alignment with the EU.

“There are two likely outcomes in negotiation – a free trade deal like Canada or a looser arrangement like Australia – and we are happy to pursue both,” a government source said on Saturday.

But experts in transport logistics said he cannot risk taking negotiations to the wire. They said companies urgently need precise details of the changes they will face, in order to recruit, train and deploy potentially thousands of staff to deal with expected extra red tape.

The prime minister’s goal of a Canadian-style FTA will inevitably mean more “friction” from form-filling and checks after 1 January, making trade with the EU slower and more expensive, they said. But the disruption will be heightened if they do not know the exact nature of the additional burden until the last minute.

“Business needs to prepare itself, but prepare itself for what?” said Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett. “We need to know now. What government fails to understand is that when you have big changes, businesses need to recruit people, train them, fund them, get the IT in place.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 15 September 2020 People enjoying the autumn sunshine as they punt along the River Cam in Cambridge PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2020 Early morning light bathes the skyscrapers of the City of London, at the start of a week in which the UK is expected to bask in temperatures of more than 30 degrees PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2020 England celebrate after they dismissed Australia's Alex Carey to win the second ODI match of the series at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2020 Protesters outside BBC Broadcasting House in central London, as marches and rallies form across the country calling for a 15% pay rise for NHS workers and an increase in NHS funding PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2020 An empty migrant dinghy floats off the beach at St Margaret's Bay after the occupants landed from France in Dover Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2020 A view of small boats thought to be used in migrant crossings across the Channel at a storage facility in Dover, Kent PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2020 EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier, left, arriving from the Eurostar with EU Ambassador to the UK, Portuguese diplomat Joao Vale de Almeida at St Pancras International railway station, London, for the latest round of the negotiations on a free trade deal between the EU and the UK PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2020 Dawn over Coquet Island, a small island off Amble on the Northumberland coast PA UK news in pictures 7 September 2020 A hovercraft arrives to Southsea, Hampshire from the Isle of Wight PA UK news in pictures 6 September 2020 Forensics officers near the scene of multiple reported stabbings in Birmingham Reuters UK news in pictures 5 September 2020 Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate in Dover against immigration and the journeys made by refugees crossing the Channel to Kent PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2020 Activists take part in a demonstration against the HS2 hi-speed rail line outside the Department of Transport AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 September 2020 Peter Baker, who plays Trigger in the musical version of Only Fools and Horses, sweeps the stage of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London, after observing a 15 minute silence to show solidarity with those in the theatre industry that have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2020 Kadie Lane, right, 11, and Brooke Howourth, 11, hug on their walk to Marden Bridge Middle School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, for their first day of term, as schools in England reopen to pupils following the coronavirus lockdown PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2020 Extinction Rebellion protesters sitting outside The Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London PA UK news in pictures 31 August Surfers at Long Sands Beach, Tynemouth PA UK news in pictures 30 August Black Lives Matter protesters march through Notting Hill in London in the first Million People March EPA UK news in pictures 29 August A protester reacts as she demonstrates against the lockdown and use of face masks, amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, outside Downing Street in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 August Caribbean soca dancers display their costumes as they promote the first ever digital Notting Hill Carnival, following the cancellation of the normal Carnival festivities due to the continued spread of the coronavirus disease, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 August Father and son team Chris and Sam Milford from historic building conservation specialists WallWalkers begin restoration work on the spire of Norwich Cathedral, which stands at over 312ft high. The first known spire was completed in 1297 PA UK news in pictures 26 August Giant waves at Seaham in County Durham, as the bad weather continues PA UK news in pictures 25 August An assistant at the Wallace Monument cleans the case which houses the William Wallace sword in the Hall of Arms room at the monument near Stirling as they prepare to re-open PA UK news in pictures 24 August Restored World War Two landing craft LCT 7074 is transported from from the Naval Base in Portsmouth to its final resting place at the D-Day Story at Southsea PA UK news in pictures 23 August Jenny Nguyen and Tony Cao, from Vietnam, pose for wedding photos on Tower Bridge in London, as it remains closed to vehicles after it was stuck open on Saturday due to a "mechanical fault". The landmark's Twitter account confirmed only pedestrians and cyclists could use it on Sunday morning PA UK news in pictures 22 August England's Zak Crawley hit 267, joining the exclusive Double Hundred club, on day two of the Third Test match against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton PA UK news in pictures 21 August Harri Teale gathers lavender during the annual harvest on the Wolds Way Lavender farm near Malton in North Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 20 August Parents and a student react after checking GCSE results at Ark Academy in London Reuters UK news in pictures 19 August Tate Modern workers hold a strike outside the gallery in London, to protest the institution's announcement that it would cut more than 300 jobs from its commercial arm, Tate Enterprises PA UK news in pictures 18 August Two rescued brown bear cubs, Mish (left) and Lucy, cool off in a pool after arriving at their new home with the wildlife conservation charity Wildwood Trust in Herne Bay, Kent. The orphaned pair, who have been living in a temporary home in Belgium since they were found abandoned and alone in a snowdrift in the Albanian mountains, will be acclimatised to their new life in the country before moving to a permanent home PA UK news in pictures 17 August A level students celebrate outside the Department for Education in London after it was confirmed that candidates in England will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm. The government U-turn comes just days after Education Secretary Gavin Williamson vowed there would be "no U-turn, no change. PA UK news in pictures 16 August Wasp players take a knee as Northampton Saints stand prior to kick-off in their Premiership match at Franklin's Gardens PA UK news in pictures 15 August Piper Colour Sergeant Lil Bahadur Gurung attends the VJ Day National Remembrance event, held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 14 August People including students hold placards on Whitehall outside Downing Street as they protest against the downgrading of A-level results. The government faced criticism after education officials downgraded more than a third of pupils' final grades in a system devised after the coronavirus pandemic led to cancelled exams yes AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 13 August Benita Stipp (centre) and Mimi Ferguson (left) react as students at Norwich School receive their A-Level results PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2020 A train derailment near Stonehaven has left three people dead. Driver Brett McCullough, conductor Donald Dinnie, and a passenger were killed when the 6.38am Aberdeen to Glasgow Queen Street service crashed amid heavy rain and flooding BBC UK news in pictures 11 August 2020 A woman hydrates in the sun after open water swimming at the West Reservoir Centre in north London Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 10 August 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes part in an archery session as he visits Premier Education Summer Camp at Sacred Heart of Mary Girls' in Upminster Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2020 People cycle through Cambridge as the heatwave continues in Britain EPA UK news in pictures 8 August 2020 Healthcare workers take part in a protest in London over pay conditions in the NHS Getty UK news in pictures 7 August 2020 Emergency services make their way along the seafront on Bournemouth beach in Dorset on one of the hottest days of the year PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2020 Alison Murphy poses for a picture by husband Peter as she walks through a field of sunflowers in Altrincham, Cheshire PA UK news in pictures 5 August 2020 Pakistan's Abid Ali being bowled by England's Jofra Archer during day one of the First Test match at the Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester PA UK news in pictures 4 August 2020 The 'Timbuktu tumblers' from Kenya perform their balancing act on the Southsea waterfront as Zippos Circus reopens in Portsmouth Rex UK news in pictures 3 August 2020 Pelicans interact with a visitor in St James's Park in London PA UK news in pictures 2 August 2020 Lewis Hamilton drives with a puncture towards the finish line to win the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone POOL/AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 1 August 2020 Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates with the trophy and teammates after winning the FA Cup, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease Pool via Reuters UK news in pictures 31 July 2020 People enjoy the sunny weather at a Bournemouth Beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 July 2020 An artist puts the finishing touches to a wax figure of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in the entrance line at Madame Tussaud's in London, as the attraction prepares to reopen to the public following the easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 29 July 2020 A member of staff stands on Ai Weiwei's 'History of Bombs' during a photocall for the Chinese artist's new work on display at the Imperial War Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 28 July 2020 Stuart Broad celebrates after taking the wicket of West Indies batsman Kraigg Brathwaite. It was a milestone wicket in his career, reaching his 500th Test Wicket for England. They went on to beat the West Indies in Manchester and therefore win the series 2-1 Getty/ECB

“The scale of this is enormous and I think time is against us. I would like to see clarity by March so that businesses can really start to plan. But I have no confidence at this stage that they are in a position to provide that.”

A large firm introducing a new transportation and logistics system would typically devote two years to preparations, he told The Independent, adding: “We’ve got 11 months and tens of thousands of companies affected.”

Talks are not expected to begin until March, after the EU completes the process of agreeing its mandate for negotiations.

The Freight Transport Association’s head of European policy, Pauline Bastidon, told The Independent: “We are asking for enough time to be able to implement whatever they come up with, but most importantly to have clarity on operational requirements and new processes as soon as possible. It’s not good enough just to be told there will be customs formalities, we need to know precisely what it will look like operationally.”

Uncertainty remains over issues ranging from whether physical sanitary checks will be required on food and animal products, whether traders will have to declare each border crossing as it happens, day or night, and whether they will be able to rely on “trusted trader” status to simplify the process, she said.

“Cumbersome” safety and security declarations introduced after 9/11 could suddenly be required for every truck leaving the UK – or even for each individual package within a shipment – creating an “absolute nightmare” for lorries passing through roll-on/roll-off terminals, said Ms Bastidon.

“Imagine you are going home with some complex piece of furniture you have to assemble and you find you have to keep popping out to the shops to get tools or glue and then there are parts missing and there’s no instruction manual,” she said. “That’s the position we are in at the moment.

“It’s not going to be easy, that’s for sure. The industry is extremely adaptable and will rise to the challenge as best as possible, but we have already wasted a lot of time. None of this is new to the government, we have been telling them almost on a daily basis for a long time.”

Theresa May’s government conducted a practice exercise to deal with trucks queueing at Channel ports (Rex)

A shortage of customs agents, who take around two years to train, is likely to limit the assistance available to an estimated 250,000 exporting companies who have never operated outside EU rules before and lack the knowledge and experience to navigate the complex paperwork alone, she said.

If details about future requirements are not provided soon enough, many companies will press ahead and try to make it work, but others will simply decide it is “too difficult”.

Mr Burnett warned that additional red tape would threaten jobs: “We have become used to trading with Europe on the basis that everything just flows through. If you slow the flow of product into retail and manufacturing, the impact inevitably will be that the economy slows. As an industry, we’re all about volume and if volume drops, then the secondary impact of that is jobs.”

A stationary truck waiting in a queue at a port can cost a haulier £58 an hour on a trip which is likely to deliver a profit margin of only one or two per cent, he said, adding: “You are going to be out of business pretty quickly if your truck is sat there for 10 hours at a time.”

British Ports Association chief executive Richard Ballantyne said he believed ports would be ready with the necessary infrastructure such as lorry parks, but the build-up of queues was beyond their control.

“Our aspirations may be to have arrangements similar to the present ones, but it does seem from senior ministers’ statements that the UK government wants divergence and the ability to set their own rules,” he said.

“If there’s an FTA deal without alignment on standards, that’s going to look a bit like a no-deal to the ports industry, particularly roll-on/roll-off ports whose traffic works on the assumption you can move trucks swiftly through. Hauliers may well find themselves sitting in traffic because the paperwork hasn’t been done. Any delays will increase costs which will be fed through to the traders and ultimately the consumer.”

Meanwhile, the government was coming under pressure from industry to be open and inclusive in its negotiating strategy, in order to avoid the kind of public hostility of the kind seen during the abortive effort to strike an EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

A CBI briefing document provided to ministers warned against the use of non-disclosure agreements, which were imposed during the negotiation of the withdrawal agreement to prevent companies consulted by the government from going public about their discussions.