Government Must Act to Cut Waiting Time
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IN the drive to increase exports more attention should be paid to the disadvantages, 'including inflated transport costs, arising from the amount of time that road vehicles are kept at docks before they can unload. The quick, economical. and reliable transport provided by the road haulier is wasted if the vehicle is delayed for hours or even days at the dock entrance.
This was stated by Mr. G. K. Newman, secretary-general of the Rop4 Haulage Association, at the annual dinner of the South London sub-area last Satufaay, The Government, he said, would do well to keep this matter in mind when they were considering the promotion of exports. There were also ways in which. British manufacturers could help.
"At the beginning of the journey to the docks they can ensure that the goods are ready for collection when the vehicles arrive. They should also be able, in most cases, to give instructions to the haulier so that he can have the consignment at the docks well before sailing date. It too often happens that a substantial part of a ship's cargo arrives at the port only a day or two before sailing. The congestion which results is one reason for the delays which are now arising and which inevitably lead to increased costs.
"As for the Government, it is surely one of their tasks to see that dock facilities are improved. Most docks in this country were built when the railways were the dominant form of transport, and they were not designed to take any considerable volume of road traffic. Now that such enormous quantities of goods for export go by road it is high time that approaches, dock roads and other dock facilities were modernized," said Mr. Newman.