Felixstowe box congestion spreads to Southampton

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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theloadstar.co.uk/felixstowe-bo … xmas-rush/

The UK’s two biggest container ports appear to have hit crisis level.

UK retailers potentially face weeks of delays in getting their Christmas stock onto the shelves in time for the peak consumer spending rush.

Moreover, UK exporters to Asia can virtually forget about getting containers shipped in November, due to carriers blanking a huge 11 eastbound voyages next month.

And many of those sailings that survive will be ‘cut & run’, without loading, due to the congestion at Felixstowe and Southampton.

The traditional peak season influx of holiday goods often stretches container terminals to their limits, but this year the supply chain is at breaking point – despite one source’s assertion that overall numbers are actually down this year.

The congestion problems that began at Felixstowe now appear to have spread to Southampton – partly due to the south coast port’s decision to accept extra business diverted from the Suffolk port.

Moreover, it is said, the UK’s acute haulage shortage and the indiscipline of the carriers in their schedule integrity and container control have put “impossible pressure” on the Southampton terminal.

continued on theloadstar.co.uk/felixstowe-bo … xmas-rush/

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I’m now really…

Worried that my Xmas tinsel, dancing Santa (not the rude one) and new plastic tree that I’ve ordered from Korea won’t get here.

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Southampton will stop anyway once the impending low emissions zone is in place which will encompass Marchwood , Totton, Nursling, then anything inside the M27 ring

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zaax:
Moreover, it is said, the UK’s acute haulage shortage and the indiscipline of the carriers in their schedule integrity and container control have put “impossible pressure” on the Southampton terminal.

continued on theloadstar.co.uk/felixstowe-bo … xmas-rush/

So the real story is that the container terminals couldn’t run a ■■■■ up in a brewery, hauliers have got sick of being stood for hours waiting for a box earning nowt and now there’s plenty of other work about they’ve decided to go do that instead.

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felixstowes been quiet this year . 2 of my neighbours drive tugs there on agency theyv been sitting at home a lot

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Conor:

zaax:
Moreover, it is said, the UK’s acute haulage shortage and the indiscipline of the carriers in their schedule integrity and container control have put “impossible pressure” on the Southampton terminal.

continued on theloadstar.co.uk/felixstowe-bo … xmas-rush/

So the real story is that the container terminals couldn’t run a ■■■■ up in a brewery, hauliers have got sick of being stood for hours waiting for a box earning nowt and now there’s plenty of other work about they’ve decided to go do that instead.

Cynical but probably true

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Conor:

zaax:
Moreover, it is said, the UK’s acute haulage shortage and the indiscipline of the carriers in their schedule integrity and container control have put “impossible pressure” on the Southampton terminal.

continued on theloadstar.co.uk/felixstowe-bo … xmas-rush/

So the real story is that the container terminals couldn’t run a ■■■■ up in a brewery, hauliers have got sick of being stood for hours waiting for a box earning nowt and now there’s plenty of other work about they’ve decided to go do that instead.

Sounds like what has happened then is what needs to happen at many RDCs. Hauliers just getting together and saying right, you’ve had your hour which is more than enough to wheel a pallet truck on and off 26 times, we turned up on time. We are taking the load back where it came from now and going to get some other work.

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Be the Christmas is cancelled scare story in the mail next week

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7 hour turnaround for a box at Southampton yesterday. Wrong type of fog apparently

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Never done boxes before,but a local firm is paying £150 to take a box down to felixtowe on"saturday morning"
Presumably they’ll want a full one bringing back…So I’d need to be doing the job in 10 hours,to make it worth while.
Is it doable from Mansfield?

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commonrail:
Never done boxes before,but a local firm is paying £150 to take a box down to felixtowe on"saturday morning"
Presumably they’ll want a full one bringing back…So I’d need to be doing the job in 10 hours,to make it worth while.
Is it doable from Mansfield?

Even if I still had a licence and a Unit to use ■■■■ that on a Saturday for £150…it will go pear shaped and balls up the weekend and the following week too!

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It was only one day per week,so wouldn’t affect weekly rest etc.
I will work for £15 an hour sat/days…but I’d need to complete the job in 10 hours to achieve it.
8 hours should cover the driving,which leaves 2 hours to swap boxes?and have me breakfast.
Never been to a container terminal before.

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commonrail:
Never done boxes before,but a local firm is paying £150 to take a box down to felixtowe on"saturday morning"
Presumably they’ll want a full one bringing back…So I’d need to be doing the job in 10 hours,to make it worth while.
Is it doable from Mansfield?

It is do-able, just. However you will need to get a RHIDES card if you havn’t been there before. For that you will need all the correct documents etc. So will you be done in 10 hours? I doubt it.

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2 hours to swap boxes? :laughing:

Sorting Rhides card will cost you an hour. It’s a bit of a maze as well for someone who’s never been.

2 hours would be good for someone familiar with the place.

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Its been getting worse these last 2 weeks in Southampton, so bad that you now need about 2 hours to tip and turn and what makes it worse is you can’t tell when this will be. Being paid by the hour does make it a little easier to accept.
[emoji16][emoji16]

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SuperMultiBlue:
2 hours to swap boxes? :laughing:

All I needed to know :sunglasses:

17

DickyNick:
Sounds like what has happened then is what needs to happen at many RDCs. Hauliers just getting together and saying right, you’ve had your hour which is more than enough to wheel a pallet truck on and off 26 times, we turned up on time. We are taking the load back where it came from now and going to get some other work.

It looks like your prayers are answered…Well by at least one container shipping line HMM starting Monday morning according to this article theloadstar.co.uk/uk-haulage-cr … le-whammy/

“”HMM has issued new rules on UK haulage, telling customers that, from 1 October, shippers must undertake all export collections and import deliveries at “their own risk”.

It blames UK haulage for the policy change.

The carrier said: “The UK road haulage market continues to face ongoing challenges as a result of road congestion, a general shortage of vehicle, driver and rail availability, plus increased cargo volumes.

“[This problem is] exacerbated by other external factors impacting haulage productivity such as port congestion and vessel diversions.

“Reliability and punctuality of all export collections and import deliveries has been impacted and these issues are likely to continue as many are ongoing or long-term rather than seasonal.”

Furthermore, the carrier said, it had reserved the right to be up to 90 minutes late, while still expecting any containers arriving within that period to be loaded or unloaded.

“[We will give] no consideration of extended free time or additional costs,” said the carrier. “Wasted journey costs will apply for any container arriving within this 90-minute period which is rejected for loading or unloading.”

To facilitate improved service and free up resource availability, HMM said it welcomed “any opportunities” to unload or deliver at night.””

I do like The Loadstar for telling it like it is unlike much of the trucking press. :open_mouth:

So arrive at RDC… You’re an hour late mate…Go ahead punk, make my day…Rejected, rebooked tomorrow 4pm…No mate, rebook me sometime after Christmas or collect it yourself somewhere in Suffolk cos…I’m outa here :grimacing:

The driver shortage begins to bite at last.

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Hurryup&wait:

DickyNick:
Sounds like what has happened then is what needs to happen at many RDCs. Hauliers just getting together and saying right, you’ve had your hour which is more than enough to wheel a pallet truck on and off 26 times, we turned up on time. We are taking the load back where it came from now and going to get some other work.

It looks like your prayers are answered…Well by at least one container shipping line HMM starting Monday morning according to this article theloadstar.co.uk/uk-haulage-cr … le-whammy/

“”HMM has issued new rules on UK haulage, telling customers that, from 1 October, shippers must undertake all export collections and import deliveries at “their own risk”.

It blames UK haulage for the policy change.

The carrier said: “The UK road haulage market continues to face ongoing challenges as a result of road congestion, a general shortage of vehicle, driver and rail availability, plus increased cargo volumes.

“[This problem is] exacerbated by other external factors impacting haulage productivity such as port congestion and vessel diversions.

“Reliability and punctuality of all export collections and import deliveries has been impacted and these issues are likely to continue as many are ongoing or long-term rather than seasonal.”

Furthermore, the carrier said, it had reserved the right to be up to 90 minutes late, while still expecting any containers arriving within that period to be loaded or unloaded.

“[We will give] no consideration of extended free time or additional costs,” said the carrier. “Wasted journey costs will apply for any container arriving within this 90-minute period which is rejected for loading or unloading.”

To facilitate improved service and free up resource availability, HMM said it welcomed “any opportunities” to unload or deliver at night.””

I do like The Loadstar for telling it like it is unlike much of the trucking press. :open_mouth:

So arrive at RDC… You’re an hour late mate…Go ahead punk, make my day…Rejected, rebooked tomorrow 4pm…No mate, rebook me sometime after Christmas or collect it yourself somewhere in Suffolk cos…I’m outa here :grimacing:

The driver shortage begins to bite at last.

Yea, but is it driver shortage or over population? Maybe both?

19

Southampton is ■■■■ awful,jumped up security bods ‘patting down’ the drivers for concealed samurai swords and Kalashnikovs at the various check-points.I commented recently that there was nothing more likely to have me concealing a kukri down mi strides than when dealing with the degradation of these moronic and offensive,‘security checks’,i s…t thee not,one of the drones actually tried to justify it by suggesting we box-jockeys could potentially go on a Michael Ryan style rampage at the port :open_mouth: presumably mounting one of the straddle cranes and disembowelling its driver.
Then there’s the ludicrous level crossing where the straddlers cross on a ridiculously frequent basis,clogging up the road in the process.
If that’s not bad enough,there’s another wait for a loco crossing further up,pulling,seemingly a miles worth of boxes at around 1mph :
The input keys at pre-gate are barely legible and poorly illuminated,an air of arrogant disdain pervades any verbal communications when required.All in all,a huge [zb] sandwich.Give me Gateway any time.

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Oh come on, surely somebody can shoe horn an explanation blaming the upcoming Brexit on this?