Felixstowe will not charge for peak hour haulage vehicle bookings
Date: 19 July 2007
The Port of Felixstowe has decided not to charge haulage drivers to book a peak period slot for their vehicles.
In order to cut congestion, Felixstowe has a vehicle booking system (VBS) whereby logistics drivers have to book an hour slot during which they are able to enter the port.
The port was considering charging hauliers £2 to book during peak times, with the remaining times to be free. However, it has decided not to proceed with this proposal.
Christopher Snelling, the head of global supply chain policy at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), welcomed the "positive" move, saying: "The changes should reduce the cost of the scheme to the users of the port without impairing its effectiveness in reducing congestion."
However, he did express reservations about the VBS scheme in general.
"Whilst [the schemes] can reduce waiting times at ports they are still a significant cash cost to users as there is a £21 no-show fee every time a haulier misses a slot, with no corresponding recompense from the port if it fails to deliver on its promises on turnaround times," he noted.
"In addition they add a significant burden to the costs to business due to the expense of administering the scheme."
The FTA also hopes that Southampton port will think about following Felixstowe's lead and scrapping its own £1 peak booking charge for haulage drivers.
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