As from monday I will be working out of Seaforth. Has anyone got any info on the place? I have heard horror stories of drivers fighting over their place in the queue as there is no real system and something about a card to get through the barriers?
theghostofcain:
As from monday I will be working out of Seaforth. Has anyone got any info on the place? I have heard horror stories of drivers fighting over their place in the queue as there is no real system and something about a card to get through the barriers?
Just a normal run of the mill routine then. 
Hi,
Yes I am a regular (nearly every day) visitor to Seaforth! What precisely do you want to know mate - everything from start to finish or just something specific?
Tom
By the way - do you mean “Deep sea” or “Coastal”? There is quite a big difference.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Info start to finish would be good!! (If you don’t mind, that is).
As for deep sea or coastal, I haven’t got a clue. We have basically been told that we are working for Bornholm at Manchester, & running out of Manchester, Seaforth & Southampton 
Yes I have often seen Bornholm wagons at the docks. Ok here goes then…
Getting there (apologies if you already know!)…
At the end of the M57 or M58 -Switch Island- follow the A5036 signposted Bootle and Docks. Just keep on this road until you come to the docks -they will be in full view from some distance away- you will eventually come to a roundabout - go straight over - you will shortly come to another - go straight over and bear to your left and follow the slip road upto the police barrier - just drive straight through as it is almost always open - watch your speed -25mph- keep on going for a bit and the road will bend to your left and round this corner you will see the entrance to the container port.
When it is quiet you can just drive in and park up. If it is busy there will be marshalls who will tell you where to park as they will put the wagons into lines (very frequent by the way) - this really depends on what time you get there as mornings are often fairly quiet but things start to build up in the early afternoon - but this can vary from day to day. Once parked up take your paperwork into the main booking office -just follow the other drivers or ask one- don’t forget your hi-viz. There are four windows for booking-in, there is almost always a queue! If your box is going in or out of DeepSea (I will cover Coastal later) you will be given a piece of paper with the details on it and a grey plastic credit card sized electronic swipe card.
You now need to get onto what they call the “Pad”. You will see in front of you six barriers. The first two (from the left) are for entering the DeepSea pad, the next two are the exits and the next two are for entering and leaving Coastal.
If you have been queued by a marshall then just sit in your wagon until your line starts to move and just follow the wagon in front. If it is quiet then just go when you are ready. Go upto the available barrier (the first two on your left) sometimes they will put a cone in front of one and this leaves just one open - depends on how busy it is normally. Drive upto the barrier and on your right there will be a swipe plate - just swipe your grey card across the surface and you will see the light on the plate change colour. Just wait until the traffic light turns green and the barrier lifts - sometimes you can be sat there for ages if they feel there are too many wagons on the pad already. Once the barrier is up go onto the pad - in front you will see the bays (25 I think). Drive to your right and you will normally see wagons parked up in a semi-circle waiting their turn to go into the next available bay. In order not to queue-jump you should note the wagon in front of you at the barrier - either the one directly in front of you or (if both lanes are open) the one to your side who went through the barrier before you. You should keep your eye on this wagon from now on as your turn will be next after him! There has been some aggro between drivers queue jumping - I have not seen it myself but it does happen from time to time apparently. To protect yourself just make a note of the wagon that is in front of you and you can’t go wrong! If it is really quiet and there are no wagons on the pad waiting for spaces then just go straight into one of the empty bays - it can happen though not that often! It all depends on when you are there. Once you are backed onto one of the bays (just reverse between the two white lines and have the front of your wagon behind the metal stud on the ground) get out and swipe your grey card on the swiping post for your bay - it is to your left side if you are facing your wagon. Your swipe card will not always change the colour of the light on the swipe post - some cards do some don’t - don’t worry just do it a few times to make sure! Make sure your twist locks are unlocked and just wait for the loading crane to come over and load/unload your box. Once you are done just drive off the bay and in front of you the first two barriers to your left are the exits - just drive upto the barrier and swipe your grey card on the plate. You wait for your gate pass to come out of the ticket machine - tear off the tickets (the green one is the gate pass) and then drop your grey swipe card into the slot - this will lift the barrier. Drive out and bear left and then turn right onto the dock road and carry on back to the police security barrier and stop and give him the gate pass ticket - he will check it against your box (assuming you have collected a box) and wave you through. Job done!
After a couple of visits you will soon get the hang of it. It can be very busy and you can reckon on 1 to 3 hours to get in and out. Can be longer or quicker again depending on the day of the week and the time. There is a system in place but it is not very obvious - most people just ask like you have - if in doubt just ask. I have been going there for a year now and have never had any problems with anyone - just be patient and you will be fine!
I will post again later today with details for Coastal.
Cheers for now
Tom
Hell, that story reminds me of North Sea Ferries in Hull, when everyone had to queue for the shed to lift containers or flats.
You entered the dockgate with your drop off notes and collection order. then joined a queue of up to 100 trucks all meandering round the dock, between trailers and wherever you could get. There were a few fights and fisticuffs as drivers would try to push in, especially the local shunters.
When you got near the shed you had to decide whether to take a risk and leave your cab to look for the box you wanted, or you sat in the queue and went in the shed where they had 4 gantry cranes. You had to reverse in without hitting the chains and then hang the chains on at the front.
If you were not quite square, the box would twist as the chains were tightened, if you didnt leave your handbrake off the box could swing and knock the back of your cab off 
This was the early days of RoRo, it could take 3 or 4 hours just to do a changeover.
If your return box wasnt in the shed, you had to bribe a tuggie to go and fetch it, along with another 100 drivers 
Those were the days!
Thanks, Tom, that is a great help. I think I will print it out and take it with me.
So, once I am on my pad (I take it I can go onto any free pad?), if my swipe card doesn’t change the light colour I still wait? (ie it has registered)
Thanks again,
Mark
you need a driving liecense or passport to get in the docks.
jessicas dad:
you need a driving liecense or passport to get in the docks.
Thanks, Jess’s dad. Is that a photo licence?
OOpps - yes jessicas dad is right (sorry I forgot that bit) you must show either your passport or photocard part of your licence at the booking office.
The whole area that you enter once going through the barrier is called the pad. On the pad there are 25 bays. If you go through the barrier and there are vacant bays and no other wagons waiting to go onto one (look to your right they are lined up in a semi-circle) then yes you can go onto any vacant one - this doesn’t happen too often, unless you get there late evening or early morning or during the night of course. More often than not you will be following others and waiting in the semi-circle, in which case follow the instructions I gave you earlier. The swipe cards don’t all change the lights - some do, some don’t - just swipe the post a few times to be sure that it has registered and wait for the crane to load or lift you - or both.
You should be told beforehand whether you are getting a box out of Coastal or putting one in there. When you enter the parking area from the dock road and there is a marshall directing wagons into lanes just hang out of your window and tell him you are going to Coastal and he will wave you on - you want to park up to the right of the park - you don’t need to get into any queues. You go into the same booking office and same booking windows as Deep Sea.The difference is that you will be given a big pink note (several copies in fact) and NO swipe card!
Go through the lane marked Coastal (sorry to insult your intelligence!) and hand your pink note to the security bloke at the little yellow cabin to your right. He will check out your note/box number etc and then lift the barrier for you. Drive through and following the fence and turn left and keep going until you come to some portakabins to your right. Park up, go into the portakabin and go to the second window and book in. If you are booking a loaded box in they will tell you exactly where to go - it will be either “centre lane number blah blah” or the quay side - best to ask someone about this when you are there as a bit difficult to explain all this in a post. Coastal is a lot quicker than Deep Sea but is a bloody pain in the arse for paperwork and gate passes. Some times you will have to go to the “rail-head” to get a loaded box out - a different system for this also, again think you are better off asking someone about this when you are there otherwise this post will be a couple of metres long!!!
O by the way if you are after empty Maersk boxes you will have to go to the little Coastal office at the end of the main building and they will give you instructions on how to get one out. Again best to ask about this when you are there.
If I haven’t covered everything let me know.
Good luck - it’s sounds worse than what it really is - just be prepared for long waits mate!
Cheers
Tom
I
the costal off ice is on the end of the building if you were faceing the front of the building from the lorry park the deepsea office is on you left to the right of the building and round the corner is the costal office
just remember theres no parking there over night so pull out BEFORE you runout of hours