GBH Depot continues to experience grave difficulty in managing the volume of containers that are being delivered both by port and by rail. The problem stems from the international ocean freight crisis, which has caused, among other issues, the consolidation of containers at various terminals both inside and outside North America. The new practice creates waves of deliveries that strain the available resources beyond tolerance. The negative impact of this new practice is compounded with terminal pickup and empty return wait times dramatically increasing, resulting in a reduction in the number of moves on any given day.
Drivers are demanding additional compensation to cover lost load revenues, which is not unreasonable under the present circumstances. Therefore, a Terminal Congestion Surcharge “TCS” will be added to each container picked up and delivered to GBH Depot. The TCS has been calculated using our historical data gathered over the last six months. Driver loss and wait time range from 3.5 to 4.5 hours per container to complete a delivery. The loss time calculated includes dead time waiting for both full pickup and empty return at the terminals, as well excessive delays on the road resulting from the major road work on key arteries in the Greater Montreal Area.
We cannot expect drivers to absorb this loss entirely. We have already seen many drivers transition from driving on the road to driving forklifts in a warehouse for more money per hour and less aggravation. To counter this new trend, we have negotiated a discounted surcharge of 45 USD (55 CND) per container to keep drivers engaged. This ensures that the flow of containers keeps moving as efficiently as possible to minimize detention/demurrage, storage, and chassis rental.
Be aware that you also play an important part in this new environment to help reduce additional charges such as:
1. Provide pickup number as early as possible knowing that we need at least 48 hours to react.
2. Ensure that all outstanding charges have been paid to assure the container is available for pickup as early as possible.
3. Provide clear details of content and free time for the container (both at the port and for empty return).
4. Be sure to provide your details on inbound containers to inbound@GBHdepot.com and gbh@ashron.ca.
5. Include Ashron Freight Services as a “Notify Party”
This Policy change will remain in place until such time that the industry returns to a more normalized method of operation. Nevertheless, we continue to work diligently to minimize all additional charges in every way possible.
