Anyone else noticed that more and more european transport seems to be going into containers ?. Just lately i’ve noticed Ferrymasters, Cobelfret and one called European Containers. They usually seem to be on Belguim reg skellys. All these companies use to run mainly tilts or tautliners. Where are they being shipped through and are they shipping just the boxes or on wheels ?.
yeh it is on increace mainly being shipped on cobblfret ferrys out of purfleet, tilbury, ipswich ect and a few ports in north east ,not normaly shipped on skelly . thay are shipped doubled up on a mafi so thay get twice as many on a boat plus increased security as quite often thay carry valuable food and drink (thay lost a full load of redbull out of purfleet on a trailer a year or so ago so that always goes in boxes now) The belgian reg trailers are hired from a belgian firm as we dont seem to make lightweight 45 ft goose neck skellys so if thay are shipped across on a skelly thay are under the 4meter limit
I can see several advantages of using containers for EU work as opposed to using conventional trailers…
1] no losing a trailer
2] no back loads to worry about
3] no fines for illegal immigrants found on board
4]a disbursement of responsiblility should drugs be found in a container
5] no paying drivers to eat and sleep on a ferry
Also the container companies are making 45 foot, 36 pallet containers more readily available nowadays. And thus more affordable 
Mike-C:
I can see several advantages of using containers for EU work as opposed to using conventional trailers…
1] no losing a trailer
2] no back loads to worry about
3] no fines for illegal immigrants found on board
4]a disbursement of responsiblility should drugs be found in a container
5] no paying drivers to eat and sleep on a ferry
Also the container companies are making 45 foot, 36 pallet containers more readily available nowadays. And thus more affordable
But with the one big disadvantage that it removes any possible chance that a British driver ‘might’ have had in having a bit more variety than just boring run between the docks and the uk collection or delivery point.Although even that’s probably irrelevant anyway because it’ll probably end up with a Polish wagon hauling the containers throughout europe and then putting the unit only on the ferry to run over here as well under cabotage regs.That’s assuming the rail lot don’t then also decide to get in on the act.
Carryfast:
Mike-C:
I can see several advantages of using containers for EU work as opposed to using conventional trailers…
1] no losing a trailer
2] no back loads to worry about
3] no fines for illegal immigrants found on board
4]a disbursement of responsiblility should drugs be found in a container
5] no paying drivers to eat and sleep on a ferry
Also the container companies are making 45 foot, 36 pallet containers more readily available nowadays. And thus more affordableBut with the one big disadvantage that it removes any possible chance that a British driver ‘might’ have had in having a bit more variety than just boring run between the docks and the uk collection or delivery point.Although even that’s probably irrelevant anyway because it’ll probably end up with a Polish wagon hauling the containers throughout europe and then putting the unit only on the ferry to run over here as well under cabotage regs.That’s assuming the rail lot don’t then also decide to get in on the act.
Apart from the fact you are not having to pay 2 to £300 each way to have a driver sat for 6 hours a day on a boat, & sat 3 hours in a queue. Instead the British haulier and therefore driver can earn more money by doing 2 Manchesters a day, then he can by doing a single Mechelen.
If you wanted to drive long distances, you missed the boat, get over it!
european containers is better known as ECS based in zeebrugge.as well as ferrymasters 2XL cobelfret the trucks pulling these containers are neally all polish,romaian,bulgarian registed.I think its a case of cost because we all no these people will do the work a lot cheaper than a uk haulier
ECS have been doing it since the early 90’s,a lot of them run out of Purfleet & IIRC Immingham.
At one time the did a lot of stuff for Aldi,Lidl & Netto, sure it’s much more varied now though.
ECS came into the market late, remember Seawheel in the 60’s they did exactly the same thing. 2XL and a2b consolidate loads in Zeebrugge, they offer LCL and FCL services from all points of Europe using the rail, and road networks, and a twice weekly ferry service from Zeebrugge to Bilbao. It makes perfect sense to me.
Ferrymasters ran container fleets in the 70’s & 80’s as did many others, like GEEST, Maersk and MERI Line.
Most of the chemicals have been moved throughout Europe and the Eastern CIS states in tank containers for years with P&O Tankmasters before H&P Freightways became agents for almost all the operators in the 70’s.
It is nothing new and is a further development in transport that follows, Horses, Steam, Trams and Petrol Lorries. It follows Tarpaulins, Tilts, Tautliners and Telex messages.
Containers are the original Intermodel transport solution, easy to handle and cheap to move, they take up less room than a trailer and you can stack them, so why not use them.
I do wonder if part of the increase in European container movements is due to the down turn of trade from the Far East especially China, so there is a glut of containers available.
Wheel Nut:
Carryfast:
But with the one big disadvantage that it removes any possible chance that a British driver ‘might’ have had in having a bit more variety than just boring run between the docks and the uk collection or delivery point.Although even that’s probably irrelevant anyway because it’ll probably end up with a Polish wagon hauling the containers throughout europe and then putting the unit only on the ferry to run over here as well under cabotage regs.That’s assuming the rail lot don’t then also decide to get in on the act.If you wanted to drive long distances, you missed the boat, get over it!
Wheel Nut:
Carryfast:
Mike-C:
I can see several advantages of using containers for EU work as opposed to using conventional trailers…
1] no losing a trailer
2] no back loads to worry about
3] no fines for illegal immigrants found on board
4]a disbursement of responsiblility should drugs be found in a container
5] no paying drivers to eat and sleep on a ferry
Also the container companies are making 45 foot, 36 pallet containers more readily available nowadays. And thus more affordableBut with the one big disadvantage that it removes any possible chance that a British driver ‘might’ have had in having a bit more variety than just boring run between the docks and the uk collection or delivery point.Although even that’s probably irrelevant anyway because it’ll probably end up with a Polish wagon hauling the containers throughout europe and then putting the unit only on the ferry to run over here as well under cabotage regs.That’s assuming the rail lot don’t then also decide to get in on the act.
Apart from the fact you are not having to pay 2 to £300 each way to have a driver sat for 6 hours a day on a boat, & sat 3 hours in a queue. Instead the British haulier and therefore driver can earn more money by doing 2 Manchesters a day, then he can by doing a single Mechelen.
If you wanted to drive long distances, you missed the boat, get over it!
Depends wether you’re just basing your figures on a comparison between a regular run between Manchester and Mechelen or Italy etc being paid on mileage 
.I’m sure there might be a few British owner drivers left on long distance international work who’ll be a bit zb’d off to be told if they want to drive long distances they’ve missed the boat get over it they’re only going to run from Purfleet to Manchester from now on. 
There will always be a Market for some long distance road haulage some even goes down to the middle east and it might pick up with the quatar world cup.
But the fact is the future is multi modal transport with trucks and trains and even trucks doing relay swapping trailers on the way like the old pony express