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.