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The notion of good value
Page 9
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Brian Lee of Allan Morris Transpoprt ponders demurrage and operators' reluctance to use the trade associations to best purpose...
In a moment of desperation recently I tidied up enough to unearth a copy of Business and Law for the Shipmaster. It's a book I used to know by heart when I was studying for my shipping qualifications a lifetime ago. As I flicked through the pages the word "demurrage" sprang out at me and reminded me of a conversation I had with a customer last week. He pays loaders by the hour and they are taking forever to complete the relatively simple task of filling a walking-floor trailer with last week's newspapers.
I rang the customer and told him that he had an hour to spare before I decided to impose a demurrage payment. This was met with bemused silence indicating that he had no idea what I was talking about. I explained that for every hour the truck was kept waiting I would charge him the princely sum of 245.
This didn't go down too well, so I reminded him that for £45 he was effectively hiring 2110,000 worth of tractor and trailer, accompanied by a very experienced driver and the back-up of the firm. Considerably better value, I told him, than the call-out fee for your average washing machine repairman, for example.
The customer eventually agreed to pay if his staff failed to match their job description and get the trailer loaded on time.
A quick word on trade associations. There are many out there who argue that they do nothing for the industry and can't see the point of membership. I disagree.
It used to be the case that I would attend RHA members' briefings in a North Wales pub along with two other operators and a dog. Not anymore; a recent meeting attracted more than 50 hauders; most of them desperate for information on the Working Time Directive.
My advice is to use the facilities that the trade associations provide to update you on the fast-changing legislation that's being thrown at the industry from all directions. "I reminded him that for he was hiring £110,000 w of tractor and trailer, a dr and the back up of the fi