True or False
imports of goods from china into the docks at southampton are a bit slow due to the chinese new year.
the company I work for say they ain`t got much work for the next week or so coming out of the docks due to the interuption caused by the chinese new year, are they telling the truth??
I’ve heard that one for several years in a row, not sure if its exactly true. How long does it take the ships from there - 3 weeks is it ? 
Just found This. So if thats the case, it should only be quiet for a couple of weeks max.
It’s not just the new year, hasn’t there recently been limits imposed on chinese imports?
For years, 1000’s of trucks have been kept busy with china flooding us with their cheap goods. now that less is coming in, the work is spread thinner. everywhere you go, people are having trouble keeping wheels turning like they used to. Look in the industry press, and company after company are going under week in, week out. This, along with foreign trucks hauling for less is hitting us hard. and everyone is the same. we’re struggling to backload out of spain, but the spanish are also struggling to load out of spain because they are loosing work to the russians and poles.
At first I thought, well those who can ride t
is storm out will be OK, but I don’t know if the job will then be worth it. there’s no loyalty in this country. british manufacturers and distributors won’t stay loyal to british hauliers, even the company I work for has subbed work out to foreigners so they can make more money, but in the end we’ll all loose out. we’ll have to operate at the same rate as the cheapest foreigner, and the job ain’t worth it.
Bloody hell, just read through this and its depressing reading. can’t tell i’ve been sat for hours waiting to load.
THE END IS NIGH…our company is ok…we nicked the contract from Norbert Dressingtable…and are now undercutting british sugar …by £250 a ton
and they are not happy…we are merely transporters of the product…but as they say …what goes around…comes around…and nobby aint too happy either…i suppose its the fittest who survive…
i heard they are at moment more in Hull.
they change always to avoid actions of Green Party and Greenpeace as empty Containers go back with receycling materials,TV told few Weeks ago
Average Sailing Times from China to UK is around 3 1\2 weeks, Chinese Companies returned to work around about the 21st Feb, most workers return to their families 2 weeks before the New Year as the travel costs increase by over 100% the week before the new year starts so its not worthwhile working upto the new year if they live a fair distance away from the factory.
Basically, the Factory have to pay a wage + give accomodation, but unlike us, they only work on a one year contract which ends at the New Year so the workers are not obliged to return after the holiday period if they dont want to.
It depends how happy they were in the Job and with the wages etc whether they return to the same factory, the same as us, they believe the grass is always greener on the other side so talking to friends etc while on holiday they may decide to go elswhere to work
How does this affect the UK Containers?
Well simply put, the Chinese New Year is normally 3 weeks long, but is ussually extended to 5 weeks to allow the cheaper transport to be used, then after the break, it could take a further 2 weeks to get the factory back up to full production as some of the staff might not have returned so vacancies need filled.
So the 3 week break can affect over 7 weeks worth of production, so you need to then consider shipping times (Bear in mind the ports also closed for 3 weeks and suffer the same delays etc) you could be looking at a 7 week total delay in shipping getting back to Normal.
truckyboy:
THE END IS NIGH…our company is ok…we nicked the contract from Norbert Dressingtable…and are now undercutting british sugar …by £250 a ton
and they are not happy
Well done to your boss. Undercutting keeps haulage rates low, which means wages stay low because there’s less margin for profit.
We’ve had customers tell us that joe bloggs haulage will do it for less, reply was well let them because we won’t work for next to nothing, and we’ve pulled out. turned out joe bloggs couldn’t attract the drivers that the job required, wasn’t reliable, and the customer came back with his tail between his legs. ■■■■ off was the reply to ‘can you haul for us again’.
But ■■■■■■■ like your boss will just keep undercutting others by large amounts. I hope someone does it to him and he has to close the gates because he then can’t afford to operate.
Roadhog:
truckyboy:
THE END IS NIGH…our company is ok…we nicked the contract from Norbert Dressingtable…and are now undercutting british sugar …by £250 a ton
and they are not happyWell done to your boss. Undercutting keeps haulage rates low, which means wages stay low because there’s less margin for profit.
We’ve had customers tell us that joe bloggs haulage will do it for less, reply was well let them because we won’t work for next to nothing, and we’ve pulled out. turned out joe bloggs couldn’t attract the drivers that the job required, wasn’t reliable, and the customer came back with his tail between his legs. [zb] off was the reply to ‘can you haul for us again’.
But [zb] like your boss will just keep undercutting others by large amounts. I hope someone does it to him and he has to close the gates because he then can’t afford to operate.
I’d be suprised if sugar cost as much as £250 per ton, but on the bright side it’s only about 80p for a kilo bag in the supermarket.
Mike-C:
I’d be suprised if sugar cost as much as £250 per ton, but on the bright side it’s only about 80p for a kilo bag in the supermarket.
Around £235 a tonne
To cut £250 a tonne off the transport, even if the truck was only carrying 20 tonnes that would be £5000. 
Something doesn’t quite add up. Maybe they undercut by £250 a load.
to say undercut by £250 is a meaningless figure…
we dont know if the job is being done cheaper in pound note terms or whether the contract for the next few years is cheaper
vis a vis 1 mill tonnes of sugar by firm x =3 million woggles
1 mill tonnes of sugar by firm y = 3 million 250 woggles
therefore assuming firm x got the job have they under cut firm y or is it a more competitive quote
company A who had the job previously did it for a few years at 2.5 million woggles…■■? But they didnt quote this time because they wanted to concentrate on their core business of selling fridges to eskimos
hitch:
to say undercut by £250 is a meaningless figure…
we dont know if the job is being done cheaper in pound note terms or whether the contract for the next few years is cheaper
vis a vis 1 mill tonnes of sugar by firm x =3 million woggles
1 mill tonnes of sugar by firm y = 3 million 250 wogglestherefore assuming firm x got the job have they under cut firm y or is it a more competitive quote
company A who had the job previously did it for a few years at 2.5 million woggles…■■? But they didnt quote this time because they wanted to concentrate on their core business of selling fridges to eskimos
Either way up it is still undercutting,and ket`s face it the only person who gains by that is th customer