What is the best way to send goods from Madrid to northern Germany? Traditionally, the route would have been by Truck. But Samskip, the fast-growing Icelandic shipping company, is finding a growing market for using its ships as part of that journey in what it dubs “multimodal container logistics”.
The European Union is encouraging the development of “motorways of the sea” and plans to help the short-sea sector by scrapping customs controls for goods moving between EU ports. But, Samskip says, the market was in any case moving in that direction.
“We will find ourselves more and more forced to use multimodal - road, rail and barge - because of congestion,” Jacques Kleinkramer, Samskip’s chief commercial officer, says at the company’s operational headquarters in Rotterdam.
Founded in Iceland in 1990 and majority owned by Olafur Olafsson, executive chairman, Samskip’s core business had been in shipping refrigerated seafood. But the acquisition in 2005 of Geest North Sea Line in the Netherlands and Seawheel, the British short-sea shipper, allowed it to move into multimodal container transport.
At the heart of the system is the 45ft container, designed specifically to provide about the same space as a standard Trailer on a Truck. The container can be moved easily from Truck to rail to barge and on to one of Samskip’s 29 ships plying the North Sea, the Baltic and the Atlantic Ocean down to Spain.
Geest North Sea Line, a name no longer used by Samskip which is pushing its own brand, pioneered the use of the 45ft containers such that they became known as “Geests”. Ironically, given the EU’s interest in encouraging short-sea transport, they were threatened 10 years ago with a ban on the roads as the turning circle of a truck carrying one was slightly too big. The problem was solved by rounding off the container’s corners.
Although the 45ft container is not expected to kill off the Trailer truck, which would typically board a roll-on roll-off ferry for routes such as the busy Channel crossing, it does provide a compelling alternative. The containers are stackable, so there is no need for warehouses to provide temporary storage. Samskip offers its own trailer service for urgent shipments but says the multimodal option can have cost and even environmental benefits.
“The CO 2 emissions of trucks are much higher per container than for a multimodal solution,” says Menno Mooij, Samskip’s marketing manager for its multimodal business. “More and more customers are taking that into account - even if they are not necessarily prepared to pay more.”
A new EU regulation on driving time and obligatory rest periods could also hand Samskip and its peers an advantage over classic road haulage. The regulation, introduced in April, limits the total weekly driving time for a trucker.
“If the Truck driver is heading for Madrid but was delayed and only reached the French border, he just has to stop,” says Mr Mooij. “Planning for longer journeys has become more difficult.”
Samskip is expanding its east-west coverage across Europe to meet that kind of demand in addition to its already strong north-south routes. In the Madrid example, it would arrange overland transport to Bilbao and then ship to Rotterdam from where the cargo could go by rail, road or barge to Germany.
There is room for more efficiency, Mr Kleinkramer notes. Although Samskip is looking to acquire more rail capacity, the priority of passenger traffic over freight in busy summer months is a frustration. At the quayside things need to change too. “The mentality is still very much 8am to 4pm in many ports,” Mr Kleinkramer says. “We need to shift that to 24 hours.”
Tags: Truck Drivers
As our operators’ panel reveals, most people working in the industry think the conditions truck drivers have to endure are little short of shocking. Adam Purshall from TM Logistics says: “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find somewhere safe to park. Motorway service areas are too busy unless you get there early enough - and drivers do end up parked in lay-bys out of desperation.” This view is reflected in our survey - 70% felt the provision of parking facilities was inadequate.
As well as a lack of facilities, our survey clearly shows that operators feel that what we have at present is, at best, average (49%) - with almost a quarter describing them as poor. Almost half (47%) of respondents say a price between £6 and £14 pounds would be acceptable, although it is interesting to see that 19% would be prepared to pay £20 or more.
Charges average £15 for an overnight stay and in our survey almost 75% felt that they were not getting value for money. Paul Arthurton on our operators’ panel believes charging is fundamentally wrong as drivers are fulfilling a legal requirement to take adequate rest. Again, a resounding thumbs down from our survey - 70% felt that parking areas were not secure enough. Clearly it is impossible to secure lay-bys, but operators have a right to expect a certain level of security at motorway service areas.
Some 70% of operators feel there are not enough parking facilities and the vast majority (81%) think the ones we have are average at best 74% feel they aren’t getting value for money 92% think they should be provided by the public sector and 83% feel that planners should do more to accommodate Trucks.
Opinion is split between councils and government but it’s clear from this survey that operators believe facilities should be provided by the public sector, not private business. To operators they are like any other bit of infrastructure - our operators’ panel makes comparisons with the Continent where governments routinely provide good parking facilities.
The basic facilities that operators believe are necessary for their drivers are parking and toilets, closely followed by food and showers. Charles Burke from TRS Engineering says: “I think they need to be government-owned sites. It would be nice if they had fuel but they don’t need to have food facilities.”
In this survey 5% operators reported attacks on their drivers. Our panel of operators has given a damning verdict on planners, with 83% of respondents saying that they do not take truck drivers’ needs into account when designing new industrial or distribution areas. Surprisingly, given the perception that attacks on drivers are rife, only 7% of operators in our survey advise their drivers to park securely. However, this figure is skewed by the number of respondents who didn’t express an opinion.
Tags: Truck Drivers
Fifteen Truck drivers will blockade a Mack Trucks site this morning in protest of what they say is neglect from the manufacturer in maintaining their trucks.
The drivers from concrete company Rinker will block the road and entrance to Mack Trucks at Chipping Norton in south-west Sydney from 10am.
The Transport Workers Union (TWU) says Mack has refused to continue repairing their vehicles after the warranties expired.
“Drivers have had to contend with serious mechanical issues, rendering their Trucks unsafe and not roadworthy unless fixed,” the union says.
Drivers say they will block access to the Mack facility until management agrees to negotiate.
Tags: Mack trucks, Truck Drivers, Trucks for sale
Having decided on a career as a Professional truck driver you should know, before enrolling in truck driving school, that there are several different types of truck drivers. Although you will be made aware of this during your training you may come to realize you have enrolled in the wrong program for what type of truck you would like to drive. Any type of truck driver has its own advantages as well as disadvantages and it is important to know about this beforehand.When most people think of truck drivers they have a picture in their mind of all the hundreds of truckers seen daily along America’s highways and interstates. These are called long distance divers or long hauls. Drivers of these type trucks do at times take trips which bring then back home the same day but for the most parts drivers of heavy trucks do stay on the road for long periods of time, something which is not suitable for everyone. Local drivers on the other hand, has more frequent stops during the day, interact more with clients and are able to go home after their shift.
Specialized truck drivers are those who operate double and triple Tractor trailers. They also operate Tank trucks, wet and dry bulk carriers, auto carriers and heavy specialized equipment. In order to drive these trucks special training and preparation is needed for a driver to be able to better understand the trucks he will be driving as well as the cargo he will be hauling. Another type of truck drivers who need special training is those who will be transporting hazardous material. Their training will usually be provided by the employer.
Then there are the owner operators and independent drivers. These normally start out as every one else, by driving a truck for someone else and collecting a salary. After some time in the business they get their own trucks and equipment and start hauling freight for several different companies. Among these types of truck drivers you can often find husband and wife teams as well as other family members. Independent and owner operated truck drivers can end up having a very lucrative business if managed right.
Taking all this into consideration it would be wise to do some research into what kind of Truck driver school to enroll in and prepare yourself for the one you like the best.
Tags: Dry Bulk carriers, Professional truck, Tank Trucks, Tractor Trailers, Truck Drivers
