FTA welcomes changes to Felixstowe’s Vehicle Booking System

FTA welcomes changes to Felixstowe’s Vehicle Booking System    The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the Port of Felixstowe’s decision to drop plans to charge for booking a peak period slot for trucks, and said it hoped other ports in the United Kingdom follow suit.
   Under the Vehicle Booking System (VBS), hauliers have to book an hour slot during which they are allowed to enter the port. Felixstowe had proposed charging '2 ($4.10) to book a slot during peak periods while there will be no charge during off-peak times.
   “The changes should reduce the cost of the scheme to the users of the port without impairing its effectiveness in reducing congestion,” said Christopher Snelling, FTA's head of global supply chain.
   “FTA still has concerns overall with VBSs. Whilst they can reduce waiting times at ports they are still a significant cash cost to users as there is a '21 ($43.02) no-show fee every time a haulier misses a slot, with no corresponding recompense from the port if it fails to deliver on its promises on turnaround times. In addition they add a significant burden to the costs to business due to the expense of administering the scheme.
   “Reducing the cost to the user at Felixstowe is particularly important as we are still having to deal with the infrastructure surcharge imposed earlier this year, as well as the ongoing security surcharge.”
   The FTA said it hopes other ports using or considering VBS systems take the same decision as Felixstowe.
   “Southampton is still charging '1 ($2.05) per peak booking — hopefully it will be able to follow Felixstowe’s lead and remove this charge,” Snelling added.