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Booking system will not cut waiting times
Page 6
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INTRODUCING a booking system at deep-sea container terminals would not necessarily produce worthwhile benefits, in terms of waiting time saved by vehicles.
This is the result of a study carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, the results of which were published in a report last week.
The TRRL investigated operating a booking-in system at two unnamed common-user container terminals to see if the length of time vehicles spent waiting to load and unload could be reduced. It suspected that a booking system could control the arrival times of vehicles and smooth the demand for terminal handling equipment, mainly straddle carriers.
Following the study, the TRRL constructed a computer model, simulating vehicle arrivals and use of terminal equipment.
This also took into account the costs of operating a booking system weighed against time savings and better service.
The TRRL report shows that at the two particular terminals studied, a booking system would not produce worthwhile savings. This was because the arrival of vehicles at the terminals was quite regular and smooth anyway, because drivers were familiar with any peak times and periods when terminal services were not provided.
But the report said that at a terminal with a more irregular pattern of vehicle arrivals, a booking system could produce savings in waiting time.
The TRRL does acknowledge in its report that hauliers "might experience difficulty in rescheduling to meet inconvenient appointments at the terminals."
• See Editorial, page 1.