Port of Hamburg implements slot-booking system for container truckers

The German seaport will launch the new online slot-booking system, which is expected to reduce wait times during peak season, on Wednesday at all four terminals, the Port of Hamburg said in a statement.    The Port of Hamburg will launch its time slot-booking system for handling container deliveries and collections by truck in all four terminals starting Wednesday, the port said in a statement.
   Once implemented, all haulage contractors for container deliveries and collections at all four terminals must agree to a time window: The trucking planners will request the transport time – one hour maximum – via an EDI interface to the relevant terminal at which point the slot can be booked for the truck, said the port. If the driver misses this slot then he or she is handled with lower priority, provided there is capacity at the terminal. If the driver comes much later, the slot is lost and a new booking must be made. “Hamburg’s slot-booking system is structured so as to offer truckers the highest possible flexibility,” said the port. 
   The Port of Hamburg said that with the new system, waiting times will be reduced, particularly during peak seasons. “Due to increasing vessels size, more and more large containerships with capacities of over 20,000 TEUs call at the Port of Hamburg. This could mean that up to 14,500 TEUs are handled in one ship call. This leads to container transport peaks to and from and around the Port of Hamburg.
   “The new slot-booking system should relieve these peaks and spread the truck handling load equally,” the port added. “The aim is to reduce waiting time for trucks and to offer the haulage companies standardized processes at all container terminals and homogeneous information exchange. At the same time the capacity of the terminals is to be increased by optimal use of resources and available infrastructure. The time slot-booking system facilitates transparency and makes planning easier for all those involved in the Port of Hamburg.”
   Hamburg is the first port in Germany to implement this system to optimize truck handling, but ports in the U.S., Far East and Australia routinely use slot-booking systems.