TPT spells out overstay policy during truckers' strike

One lesson to be learnt from
the truckers’ strike is, if you
have strike-based problems
moving containers from the
Durban port terminals, go and
plead your case to terminal
management.
This followed a complaint
aired on a Radio 702 business
programme from a forwarder
being charged “exorbitant”
fees for overstay at port
terminals because of strike
delays to transporters uplifting
containers.
The radio guest said that
the first three days were
free – thereafter there was a
“significant charge levied by
the port”.
With the strike, he added,
shippers and forwarders
weren’t able to move the cargo
within the window period
and were having to pay those
“exorbitant charges”. And,
unless they paid, they couldn’t
move the cargo.
The forwarder was adamant
that this was unfair. “Surely,”
he said, “Transnet should have
been waiving these charges
under the circumstances.”
We put this query before
Mbali Mathenjwa, Transnet
Port Terminals (TPT) acting-
GM strategic marketing and
corporate affairs. No, she
told FTW, TPT decided not
to waive the charges. The
answer, she added, was:
“Customers were advised
to make an application for
leniency for consideration
where they were delayed as a
consequence of the truckers’
strike.”
But it’s not just a simple
case of going along
and telling the terminal
management that there’s a
strike, and you can’t move
your containers, according
to Carl Webb, MD of Project
Logistics Management
and representative of the
SA Association of Freight
Forwarders (Saaff) at various
Durban port meetings. He had
first-hand experience of this,
having had to call on TPT
for an extension on certain
cargoes he had to have moved.
But he was able to add to
his case that this was being
hindered by the effects of the
strike impacting on TPT’s
own activities.
Also, it might have been
true that your regular trucker
was a union company, and
might not have been able to
move your containers. But
there were plenty of others
who could have taken that
transporter’s place. There are
around 200 000 drivers in SA.
But, according to the unions’
estimated memberships, some
70% of these truck drivers
weren’t union members, and
were therefore still on the SA
roads.
There was, however, no
doubt that container movement
was slowed down during
the strike – exacerbated by
strong winds and TPT holding
management meetings to
discuss the strike, temporarily
stopping work, and
5-kilometre plus traffic jams
caused by the unpublicised
laying of a new rail line across
Bayhead Road (FTW October
19, 2012).
And, under these
circumstances, some of the
larger cargo owners with a
lot of boxes to move might
have had a problem moving
them during the three-day
free overstay period. Such a
case for an extension would
probably have met with favour.
For example: “All the big
forwarders talked to the
Durban container terminals
(DCTs) and made alternative
arrangements,” said Webb.
It would also be worth
bearing in mind that any
appeal would have to be made
promptly. “You must discuss
it on day one,” Webb added.
“If you go once it’s in storage
you’ll get short shrift, because
you’ve already had three
days to move it, and haven’t
done so or made an appeal to
management for an extension.”
All well worth remembering
for the next time, he said.