Legislation adds costs on European inland leg

SHIPPERS TRADING with Europe face
equally daunting challenges on the
inland haulage leg as they do on the
long-haul seafreight route.
The implementation of new
regulations for the trucking industry
in Europe has increased the cost of
transport for the whole of Europe.
Legislation introduced last year
makes it mandatory for truckers
in Europe to take a one hour rest
after every four hours on the road.
“It’s very heavily controlled, with
on-board 'black boxes' to ensure
driver compliance,” says Ron Frick,
commercial manager of Deutsche
Afrika Linien.
The knock-on effect has been
an increase in the cost of inland
transport with truckers demanding
compensation because they can’t
complete as many round trips as
previously.
Shippers who opt for barge
transport are also not exempt from
additional costs – and here it’s
changeable weather conditions that
have a role to play.
“If there’s a drought and you
have too little water barges can
only negotiate certain areas, and if
the water is too high they can’t get
under bridges. The result is a low
water surcharge or limited barge
capacity.
"Barge operators are now also
charging a congestion surcharge
to compensate for time spent at
the port waiting to be loaded/
discharged,” says Frick
The rail transport alternative is
also congested, both in the ports and
as a result of overloaded rail links
where capacities are limited
Add to this the rising cost of fuel
and the surcharges that this attracts
on all transport modes and it’s clear
that shippers now have to factor
more costs into their import/export
deals than ever before. They can also
expect delays as a result of transport
infrastructure working at full capacity.