Morocco-bound surcharges loom
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• British hauliers are considering surcharging loads to Morocco after Spanish fishermen intensified blockades of Algeciras and Cadiz last week.
Fisherman are obstructing trucks bound from Spain to Morocco following the breakdown in talks between the two countries over fishing rights last weekend. A summer-long blockade of incoming trucks has already forced Lincolnshirebased clothing haulier John Mann and London-based rival Daly Transport Services to add 8-9% surcharges to inbound rates.
The outbound surcharges will probably be pitched at around 3% to cover the higher costs of using ferries from Sete and Marseilles. The French routes cost more, take longer, run less frequently and are so unpopular with hauliers that negotiating lower rates is expected to be easier.
DTS international operations manager Nigel Fisher is also preparing to lobby the Spanish Government to end the blockade after the fishermen realised to British hauliers were attempting to evade it. On Tuesday, John Mann sneaked three trucks on to a Moroccobound ship after the fishermen went home, while DTS was forced to divert two trucks to Sete after loading one on to a ship on Wednesday.
"We know that they've wised up to what we've done," says Fisher. "We're not going to push our luck otherwise we'll have vehicles damaged as well."
Both Mann and DTS run around 30 vehicles each to Morocco and back every week. They fear the blockade could damage their business—and the Moroccan economy—because their UK customers are unwilling to absorb the surcharges indefinitely.