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Driver delays still plague port terminal
Page 10
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• by Chris Tindal Drivers working out of Southampton Container Terminal have once again been hit by horrendous delays—with queuing trucks backing onto the nearby dual carriageway.
CM'S investigation into the beleaguered port (CM 1016 Oct) elicited a strong response from drivers who rang in to say the situation was unsatsfactory. One driver, who waited over three hours in the fast-track lane, was certain the queues stretched back to the M271. He claims the port was getting trucks to park behind stacks of containers to give the impression the terminal was on top of the situation. He believes the fast-track vehicle booking system (VBS ) is not making any difference to his waiting time.
"it's absolutely deplorable. They couldn't care less about the drivers," he blasts.
Owner-driver John McGarie queued for fourand-a-half hours. Speaking from the jam, he told CM "All I can see is double traffic queues on the bridge. It's bursting on to the dual carriageway."
The terminal's development director, Derek Smith, admits it cannot cope with 200 vehicles arriving at the same time, but it is making progress: ")/Ve are getting there, it's a long slow battle." I-le says the system is hindered by 50% of vehicles using VBS not arriving at the dock at the time they have booked.