Row rolls on at Felixstowe
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by David Craik • Local container hauliers have condemned the Port of Felixstowe's latest proposal to end the long-running dispute over queues at the site as "unworkable".
Following a meeting between the Road Haulage Association and Felixstowe management on 23 July, it has emerged that the port wants to introduce a booking system for some collections.
It is proposed that a strict quota system will be run hourly to manage the quantity of trucks on the busy Trinity Terminal, based on the number of crane drivers available.
Bookings within the quota will be given priority over nonbooked jobs; they will have to be made by 18:00hrs for collection during the next working day.
RHA eastern area manager Dave Orrell, speaking on behalf of the hauliers, explains their anger: "Our members are led by their customers. They are told when to pick boxes up. They are led by the shipping lines, agents and importers.
"It would mean a major change in their working practices before hauliers could do anything differently," he adds.
A local haulier, who wishes to remain anonymous, agrees that the proposals are unworkable because many hauliers are working on just-in-time contracts. He maintains that the proposal would actually lead to more congestion because exports would not be subject to quotas.
"I do not think that these proposals are there to stop delays," he claims. "They are there to give local hauliers a slap on the wrist for talking to the press."
Orrell says that the real cause of the delays is a lack of manpower at the port, which he insists must be sorted out.