New health Protocols

[terrierjohn]

52 minutes ago, wowzz said:

As you say, unaccompanied containers are already in use, but roro ports like Dover are not geared up for the massive numbers involved. 

You can't re-engineer the freight handling business overnight.  

If the ban on driver accompanied, and passenger cars continues, then it should be relatively easy to switch over to port vehicles loading and unloading. As long as sufficient tractor units can be sourced.

[davecttr]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

As you say, unaccompanied containers are already in use, but roro ports like Dover are not geared up for the massive numbers involved. 

You can't re-engineer the freight handling business overnight.  

Yes, I did some digging some time ago and Dover is the biggest by far for Ro-Ro operations. It was said in the press conference that a single driver poses a small risk, but with several hundred drivers those risks add up. I can see why the French did it.

[wowzz]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

If the ban on driver accompanied, and passenger cars continues, then it should be relatively easy to switch over to port vehicles loading and unloading. As long as sufficient tractor units can be sourced.

Sorry John, it's not that easy.

First of all the trailers have to be "dropped" in an area adjacent to the port, and the tractor units leave the port area. (Dover doesn't have any area suitable) You then need tug masters (which Dover doesn't have) to pull the trailers on the appropriate ferry, and the trailers need to be locked into position by appropriate personnel ( which Dover doesn't have). This process is lengthy, which is why unaccompanied trailers are normally only used for non time critical loads.

All the logistical issues will obviously also be replicated in Calais, Boulogne etc.

You then have yet another logistical issue - for every unaccompanied  trailer that arrives in France or the UK, you will need a tractor unit - trying to match up tractors to trailers,  would be a nightmare.

And we haven't even touched on how  you deal with groupage! 

And what about the "trampers" ? 

Sorry, unaccompanied trailers is not the answer. 

Edited December 21, 2020 by wowzz

[terrierjohn]

36 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Sorry John, it's not that easy.

First of all the trailers have to be "dropped" in an area adjacent to the port, and the tractor units leave the port area. (Dover doesn't have any area suitable) You then need tug masters (which Dover doesn't have) to pull the trailers on the appropriate ferry, and the trailers need to be locked into position by appropriate personnel ( which Dover doesn't have). This process is lengthy, which is why unaccompanied trailers are normally only used for non time critical loads.

All the logistical issues will obviously also be replicated in Calais, Boulogne etc.

You then have yet another logistical issue - for every unaccompanied  trailer that arrives in France or the UK, you will need a tractor unit - trying to match up tractors to trailers,  would be a nightmare.

And we haven't even touched on how  you deal with groupage! 

And what about the "trampers" ? 

Sorry, unaccompanied trailers is not the answer. 

I bow down to your superior knowledge, unless you cheated and cribbed it from Google!

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

I bow down to your superior knowledge, unless you cheated and cribbed it from Google!

No, just information from my years exporting and importing short life dairy goods.

[davecttr]

I remember they were reporting at the press conference that the lorry queue was down to just over 170 vehicles. Highways England now report that 900 lorries are parked up on the M20 (according to the Beeb).

 

[wowzz]

11 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I remember they were reporting at the press conference that the lorry queue was down to just over 170 vehicles. Highways England now report that 900 lorries are parked up on the M20 (according to the Beeb).

 

Boris, who is not known for his attention to detail, got his facts wrong.

 

[davecttr]

I just looked at Dover on Boogle Dearth, guess what? You are right, it appears to be an overwhelming Ro-Ro operation. There is a parking area with just trailers in it with room for maybe a couple of hundred, not a lot with perhaps over 4500 outbound lorry movements per day.

 

Breaking news? reports that the UK has proposed major concessions in the 'fish' area. Will our 'friends' bite?

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I just looked at Dover on Boogle Dearth, guess what? You are right, it appears to be an overwhelming Ro-Ro operation. There is a parking area with just trailers in it with room for maybe a couple of hundred, not a lot with perhaps over 4500 outbound lorry movements per day.

 

Breaking news? reports that the UK has proposed major concessions in the 'fish' area. Will our 'friends' bite?

Cod knows. Haddock a clue.

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

Cod knows. Haddock a clue.

Me, I decided to post just for the Halibut.

[wowzz]

7 hours ago, davecttr said:

You are right

Sooner or later I was bound to find a subject I knew a little about!

[davecttr]

29 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Sooner or later I was bound to find a subject I knew a little about!

OK, next question, which ports do the most unaccompanied trailer traffic 😉

[wowzz]

Just now, davecttr said:

OK, next question, which ports do the most unaccompanied trailer traffic 😉

Ah, I didn't say I knew everything! 

I only have experience of using groupage, roro, and refrigerated reefers, so I can't answer that one off the top of my head.

However,  a bit of research shows that about 90% of unaccompanied trailers use North Sea ports. The obvious reason being that you don't want to have your expensive tractor unit and driver sitting doing nothing on a 36 hour ferry crossing.  

[AnnieC]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Sooner or later I was bound to find a subject I knew a little about!

Hooray!

 

No one's found one that I know anything about, but that doesn't stop me😄

[Josy1953]

1 hour ago, AnnieC said:

Hooray!

 

No one's found one that I know anything about, but that doesn't stop me😄

Me too 😂😂

[zap99]

11 hours ago, wowzz said:

Boris, who is not known for his attention to detail, got his facts wrong.

 

I would imagine that the number he gave was written in his script. Perhaps sacking the transgrient would be the correct thing to do. Some official somewhere. I would imagine Boris doesn't check everything. As it is on the gov website, do you think he penned that as well?.

[Ardennais]

Wasn’t it Grant Shapps who mentioned the number of lorries?

[Angel57]

44 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Wasn’t it Grant Shapps who mentioned the number of lorries?

Both Boris and Grant mentioned the figure of 170 lorries...... Perhaps someone missed a zero off when typing up their notes?

Just said on news that a lot of fish is in the lorries waiting to go over to Calais. There’ll be a fishy pong before too long....🤣

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

Wasn’t it Grant Shapps who mentioned the number of lorries?

Mustn't spoil somebodies theory with the truth.🤣

[lincslady]

Recently on the BBC news - a French food retailer complaining bitterly about all the Scottish langoustines and salmon amongst the hundreds - if not thousands - of lorries outside Dover  waiting to be sold to his gourmet customers. Methinks M Macron is about to be even less popular in his own country  and maybe something will happen pretty soon?  

 

I can't help feeling sorry for all the drivers marooned, without much in the way of food supplies or toilet facilities, and a long way from their families.  One or two interviewed were very patient and good tempered, considering.

[pete14]

1 hour ago, Angel57 said:

Both Boris and Grant mentioned the figure of 170 lorries...... Perhaps someone missed a zero off when typing up their notes?

Just said on news that a lot of fish is in the lorries waiting to go over to Calais. There’ll be a fishy pong before too long....🤣

I don’t think Boris and Grant Shapps both quoting the same figure gives any greater indication that it is correct.

[Eglesbrech]

12 minutes ago, lincslady said:

Recently on the BBC news - a French food retailer complaining bitterly about all the Scottish langoustines and salmon amongst the hundreds - if not thousands - of lorries outside Dover  waiting to be sold to his gourmet customers. Methinks M Macron is about to be even less popular in his own country  and maybe something will happen pretty soon?  

 

I can't help feeling sorry for all the drivers marooned, without much in the way of food supplies or toilet facilities, and a long way from their families.  One or two interviewed were very patient and good tempered, considering.

Some of the seafood lorries are turning back home. Lobster, langoustine, velvet crabs etc are transported live so there is a welfare issue amongst other problems.

 

The fresh salmon can be frozen and sold here but it will be worth very much less.
 

This will put some out of business as it is the busiest week of the year.

 

I think the French will be more bothered about the variant virus than some seafood. Particularly with the dramatic language used by our politicians.

 

I doubt some of these poor drivers will see home this Christmas, a horrible end to a horrible year for them.

[Son of Anarchy]

6 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Some of the seafood lorries are turning back home. Lobster, langoustine, velvet crabs etc are transported live so there is a welfare issue amongst other problems.

 

 

Wasn't a problem for my Nan.  I remember Dad buying some live crabs in the harbour at South Shields and Nan just popping them into a pot of boiling water and saying "Ooh you can hear them screaming".

[zap99]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Recently on the BBC news - a French food retailer complaining bitterly about all the Scottish langoustines and salmon amongst the hundreds - if not thousands - of lorries outside Dover  waiting to be sold to his gourmet customers. Methinks M Macron is about to be even less popular in his own country  and maybe something will happen pretty soon?  

 

I can't help feeling sorry for all the drivers marooned, without much in the way of food supplies or toilet facilities, and a long way from their families.  One or two interviewed were very patient and good tempered, considering.

All these lorries on the M20 seem to be causing a little amusement on the continent. Perhaps they don't realise that most are EU lorries an their next load may be delivering French cheese to Germany.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Wasn't a problem for my Nan.  I remember Dad buying some live crabs in the harbour at South Shields and Nan just popping them into a pot of boiling water and saying "Ooh you can hear them screaming".

Not allowed to do that in restaurants any more. They should be stunned first.