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ei Sally Line's Ramsgate-to-Dunkirk ferry service has topped Commercial Motor's boat vote poll for 1989.
The service attracted almost twice as many votes as runner-up Sealink's Dover-to-Dunkirk route — and Sealink's Dover-to-Calais service, last year's winner, came third.
For the second year P&O did badly with four out of the five places in the worst service" category. Sealink's Dover-to-Dunkirk route also got the thumbs down from some readers.
This year, we calculated the winner by adding the 'good' points you awarded to a service, and dividing the total by the number of trucks it carriel in 1988. This gave us a more accurate gauge of the popularity of a route in relation to its size.
Although Sally carried 51,030 — slightly more than Sealink on its Dover to Dunkirk route — it won 679 votes to its rival's 387. Sealink's Dover to Calais service, which handled 250,000 CVs, scored 153 votes.
Six readers voted P&O's Dover-to-Calais their worst route, although it won a reasonable 221 good marks. P&O's Dover-toZeebrugge was the worst service for three readers and received 107 points. Sealink's Dover-toDunkirk got a total of 58 points from two readers who voted it a flop. P&O's Dover-to-Ostend service won 23 marks from one trucker who voted it his worst service.
Readers could give a service a maximum 75 points on the following categories: booking procedure, checking-in waiting facilities, boarding, vehicle security, information, meals, rest rooms, cabins, toilets, cleanliness, other services, entertainment, disembarkation and staff attitude. Not all readers voted for a worst service.
ON BOARD SERVICE
Simon Taylor, general manager freight and terminals for Sally, says the company has concentrated on providing a ' good on-hoard service and running a confirmed booking system. He says this is important because Sally has few er sailings than competitors on the route from Dover.
Taylor also says that emphasis is pu on leaving and arriving on time, and employing managers who understand the transport industry. Sally has two vessels — Sally Star and Sally Sky — on its one route. Taylor says the company is "acquisitive" although it has no definite plans to open a new service.
D Cockburn, owner of Crossbow Trucking in Ruislip, Middx, wins 10 free trips on Sally Line in our prize draw. • It is a credit to Sally Line (and a sorry reflection of life for truckers in this country) that drivers' facilities on its two ferries outclass anything on dry land in the UK. Many drivers see their trip with Sally as sweet relief from slogging the roads, rather than an extra hurdle to cross.
Service catering specifically to HGV men helped make Sally top of our ferry charts for 1989 — and service is emphasised by general manager, freight and terminals, Simon Taylor: "I think we offer a friendly, flexible service. The aim is to give the driver the special Sally treatment from the moment he books his passage to the moment he drives through customs on the other side," he says.
RESTAURANT
So what do the drivers get in return for their ferry fare? Food — including a Scandinavian buffet "Smorgasbord"— is included in the price. Drivers have their own restaurant but are not isolated from other passengers as is the case on some ferries. A private cabin with toilet and shower is also thrown in to give drivers a chance of rest if they need it. For the
more energetic there is often live music on both Sally Sky and the new Sally Star, as well as bars, giftshops and duty free.
Sally Line says that one of the secrets of its succes it running a timetable of Prussian efficiency. Drivers on board the Sally Star support this claim, although they reckon the crossing time is two hours forty minutes rather than the advertised two hours thirty.
ANOTHER BONUS
Another bonus for lorry drivers making regular crossings is Sally Line's efficient processing of documentation. For example, when the ferry docks all HGV documentation is immediately picked up and rushed to the customs house so that when a driver rolls off, his papers have (hopefully) already been cleared.
Frank Collins, who drives for Cowper Coopland doing tipper work for Sandwichbased Romac, has been using Sally Line for the last four years. He gives, a driver's eye view of life on Sally Sky and Sally Star on the Ramsgate-Dunkirk run: "As far as they are concerned, we are number one," says Collins. "It's us who keep them going day in, day out, and they appreciate it."
Andy Reeves, an owner-driver working through Mike Beer Contracts for Romac, is another Sally fan: "At the moment Sally is the cheapest way across the Channel and although the sea crossing is longer than Dover-Calais, the total trip is quicker. I can be cleared through Ramsgate within an hour when delays at Dover are often five or six hours," he says.
As Simon Taylor admits, the facilities for drivers at Ramsgate are the weakest link in the service chain. Sally has only been in business for eight years, of course, but the superb Dunkirk terminal (built with generous financial aid from Dunkirk Port Authority) stands in contrast to the Portakabin set-up on the English side. Sally has already spent some £17 million on Ramsgate to construct a breakwater and reclaim land to expand the operation, The harbour channel has been dredged to take ships of up to 6.5m draught and there are now three RO-RO berths with double-lane linkspans.
Sally's efforts to up-grade Ramsgate have suffered a setback recently with the local council's refusal to grant planning permission for a new slip road. "It's a bad, illogical decision," says freight manager Nigel Castle, "but we are determined to press ahead with plans to improve the terminal, and drivers' facilities are included in those plans."
Sally offers up to 10 sailings a day and says it can deal with the specialised needs of unaccompanied freight. Tr-backing and detopping services are available, but accompanied freight remains Sally's core business — and that means taking care of drivers, says Taylor.
The company has won its share of the boom in road haulage. In 1988 it carried 51,030 accompanied trucks and 8,933 unaccompanied. This year it aims to boost that figure to 70,000, thanks in part to the new ship Sally Star, which can take 75 HGVs. "Our business has expanded very well in Ramsgate," says Taylor. "It seems to me that hauliers who are specialising are doing the best, and in the same way we decided that we would specialise to give a thorough service for hauliers."