Southampton terminal enforces mandatory truck appointments

Southampton terminal enforces mandatory truck appointments    Southampton Container Terminals introduced today a compulsory appointment system for trucks moving containers at the major British terminal.
   Under the system, trucks are given a one-hour time slot and can change the appointed time in advance. Up to 120 vehicles an hour can be handled under the system, which replaces an optional truck appointment booking system.
   Trucks had been given a tolerance of arriving half an hour before or after the one-hour slot, and only about 60 percent of trucks used the appointment system at peak hours.
   Hit by congestion and delays in last year’s fall peak season, Southampton Container Terminals said it has added yard space and improved working practices allowing it to expand its annual capacity from 1.5 million TEUs a year ago to nearly 2 million TEUs today.
   Southampton is the largest British terminal in the Asia/U.K. container trade.