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Container crisis
Page 7
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• Container haulage is experiencing the transport equivalent of the foot and mouth crisis, according to drivers.
Fears about job prospects and the long-term future of the container industry follow a decision by haulier W Carter to reduce its spot-haulage operation at Southampton in the face of harsh competitive conditions.
Around 10 drivers are understood to have been laid off and Carter's management at Southampton admitted that it has been forced to 'downsize' its spot operation.
The situation is critical, say container drivers who are worried that the traditional quiet period up to Easter could continue well into the spring.
"The yards are full of trucks with no work to do," said one driver on the Trucknet website. "By now, we should be seeing the back of the post-Christmas lull and getting back to somewhere near normal volumes, but instead it is actually getting worse."
Bath Hanbury Davies and Deben Transport—two other container hauliers working with Carter's under the HCD banner—agree that business is extremely tough at the moment, but predict that the situation will improve.