Is the situation as bad as reported here?
Ships leaving only partly discharged?
Ships diverted to other ports?
Christmas rush unexpectedly coming before December 25th this year?
to what are you refering?
Its getting worse indeed, getting a vbs is a mission and then you loose 2-3h on the quay waiting for the bloody crane. Terrible
Am sure I read in trade press somewhere that they were about to take on more crane drivers. Also, the issue with VBS was down to system allowing users to allocate a slot without a container number.
Meaning some of the big players were taking block bookings and then giving up unused slots at the last minute, making them useless.
So glad I don’t run there anymore. I just wait for the Felixstowe train now.
Although, when P&O had an office on Trinity, the girls on nights would offer you a nip of brandy. Different days then!
Yes it is pretty poor. Trains are leaving part empty and they stopped accepting empty containers a few weeks ago.
Janos:
Am sure I read in trade press somewhere that they were about to take on more crane drivers. Also, the issue with VBS was down to system allowing users to allocate a slot without a container number.
Meaning some of the big players were taking block bookings and then giving up unused slots at the last minute, making them useless.
So glad I don’t run there anymore. I just wait for the Felixstowe train now.
Although, when P&O had an office on Trinity, the girls on nights would offer you a nip of brandy. Different days then!
If there was currently a problem with taking VBS slots, and not using them, then the time on quay would be a lot shorter wouldn’t it?
No, because the crane drivers are the same inbred, bone idle carrot crunchers they have always been.
Janos:
No, because the crane drivers are the same inbred, bone idle carrot crunchers they have always been.
A lazy machine operator? Nah I’d never believe that 
Oh the joys of the experience that is the Port of Felixstowe! I only did 7 years working out of Felixstowe and had had my fill. The RTG drivers are on the whole the laziest bunch of workers I have ever had the displeasure of working with. You go on the quay at 1700 to go straight to THA released at 1810hrs to get rid of your empty box and get to your loading location for 1825hrs. You can be the only one in the zone and will the RTG come to you - short answer no. The bells start to ring at 1838hrs to say the RTG is moving to the end of the zone as they are knocking off. They will gladly let you sit for hours waiting to load / unload and God help you if you get a zone where a ship is discharging to! I met some genuinely nice people on there but unfortunately for the most part I wouldnt be upset if the rest got there just deserves. A job which should be so easy is made so mind numbingly long. As for VBS when you want one between 0400 - 0500 or 0500 - 0600 good luck. Never enough VBSs in screen and when they do put a few extra in they are quickly taken. Dont bother with Customer Support as the last thing they are is Support. Office was mainly staffed by people who couldnt give a toss. Best way is just to smile and say thankyou! Wouldnt pay the lot of the dock with used washers
Summed up nicely there!
Anybody wanting a laugh, look up the crane drivers’ forum. They refer to themselves as ‘Skygods’.
It doesn’t help that the big players in Felixstowe Employ people to manage vbs bookings and are grabbing all the VBS slots and will only relinquish just prior to them not being able use and being charged for a no show.
Admittedly not from an independent viewpoint, but I guess the broad position is as described here?
Sacking trained crane drivers, and trying to rehire them on worse contracts? Hardly a formula for a successful smooth operation.
Franglais:
Admittedly not from an independent viewpoint, but I guess the broad position is as described here?
Sacking trained crane drivers, and trying to rehire them on worse contracts? Hardly a formula for a successful smooth operation.
That have been doing that for years I was offered a job on there mid 90s not long after a load of redundancies. I declined the job and it’s £204 basic for 50 hours esp as the father in law at the time who got me the interview was on double that for 4o hrs
Doesn’t matter what excuses are used the base line is that most of the dock workers are the most useless, lazy, over paid and under worked set of people I have ever come across. They don’t give a toss about the external hauliers never have and never will. Maybe if the RTG drivers got on with the job rather than sitting doing anything else…what’s the point if you drive onto the docks you know what I mean. Try justifying 2 - 3 hours wait in THA just to get rid of an empty box! Place needs ragging through a hedge backwards.
Gets even better now as Evergreen has diverted a ship to Rotterdam due to the delays there
Felixstowe Port in ‘chaos’ as Christmas and Brexit loom bbc.co.uk/news/business-54908129
Sent from my truck
Thank God they have Chris Grayling as an advisor, and only getting 100k a year for a full 7 hour week 
chester1:
Franglais:
Admittedly not from an independent viewpoint, but I guess the broad position is as described here?
Sacking trained crane drivers, and trying to rehire them on worse contracts? Hardly a formula for a successful smooth operation.That have been doing that for years I was offered a job on there mid 90s not long after a load of redundancies. I declined the job and it’s £204 basic for 50 hours esp as the father in law at the time who got me the interview was on double that for 4o hrs
I highly doubt they are on £4.08 per hour.
whisperingsmith:
Thank God they have Chris Grayling as an advisor, and only getting 100k a year for a full 7 hour week
As an Ex-BBC News employee he must be a leftie. (They all are) But he obviously sent his application form off to the wrong political party.
plus ça change…
Mick Bracewell:
chester1:
Franglais:
Admittedly not from an independent viewpoint, but I guess the broad position is as described here?
Sacking trained crane drivers, and trying to rehire them on worse contracts? Hardly a formula for a successful smooth operation.That have been doing that for years I was offered a job on there mid 90s not long after a load of redundancies. I declined the job and it’s £204 basic for 50 hours esp as the father in law at the time who got me the interview was on double that for 4o hrs
I highly doubt they are on £4.08 per hour.
Now read again what I wrote with the focus on the mid 90s part . It was actually 93.