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Copyright © 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.
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February
2007
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FleetWatch
invites visitors to our site to comment on any of the issues raised
in the letters from readers. Use the "your comment" link
at the bottom
of each letter and please make reference to the letter you are commenting
on.
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EASY TALK FleetWatch has a colourful history of interaction with our readers and advertisers. As part of our on-going attempts to add value to this interaction, we are now open to all communication modes to make it easier for you to communicate with us. Should you wish to comment on any issue raised in FleetWatch - or that is going on in the industry - you can do so via phone on (011) 794-2490, fax on (011) 794-1474 or e-mail us on fleetwatch@pixie.co.za. You can also respond directly from our web-site at www.fleetwatch.co.za. Under each submitted letter in our Letters to the Editor page, for example, is an underlined Your Comment. Merely click on this and an easy facility is provided for you to write and submit your thoughts. On other issues, merely click on the Feedback button from our main page. If you feel peeved off or thrilled by something, don't keep it to yourself. Share it. Remember the Sun City advertisement which urged you to get there by car, train, bus or plane. Well, now you can get to FleetWatch - and through us to the market - by phone, fax, e-mail or the web. Just get here.
IN THE ARTICLE titled Harbour Drivers – a dog's life (FleetWatch, Nov/Dec edition), Chris Barry gives a good basic outline of what happens down at the Durban Terminal. I can concur with him that the high level of wear and tear incurred by the vehicles by the stop/start procedure to get into the Terminal is seriously damaging. In reply as to whether or not the vehicle owners are compensated for their standing times, a sign outside Portnet advises that no standing time charges will be considered. For the uninitiated, this is how it works. Slowly, slowly you creep forward in the queue – stop, go, stop, go - engine cuts out after idling too long – restart when queue moves – now to build up the air pressure – oh no, a gap in front of me – another vehicle from behind jumps in front of me – creep, creep to the stop street at the bottom of the bridge. The security guards act as (untrained) pointsmen. A train starts its shunt and the queue at the railway line builds up – no go for anyone. Impatient motorists and motorbikes dodge in and out of the waiting trucks on the corner. Now the work shift change starts and that can last an hour before a vehicle moves into the terminal again! Oh well, buy some food from one of the hawkers that traipse up and down Langeberg road while you wait. At last, the last 50m stretch into the lane where your truck is to be punched into the Terminal. Will it be the old man with the cataract in one eye and a squint in the other? Hold your breath that he doesn't enter the information incorrectly for it that does happen, you then you have to run back from ‘A check’ to the gate to have it corrected. Or, it may be the lady who is so busy holding her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder to continue her conversation that she's punching slower than she should. If the gods are smiling down on you on the day, you will get the man who can punch three vehicles through while the other ‘punchers-in’ can only do one! You creep forward again towards your bay – run to A check – yes the drivers do run – and who's in there today? No, won't go to that window – it's the lady who chases you away because she's busy – she was cleaning her handbag out when I was there. Hand in your document – hold your breath – nothing found wrong with it that may require an alteration stamp. YES! Victory! It's stamped. And now for your tower – oh no – computer is looking for space – wait for your printout and wait and wait. Got it! Now for the Tower – queue or no queue – luck of the draw. At the Tower, smile sweetly at the Tower Operators while they arrange their wares of lollipops, sweets and loose cigarettes etc. Your container number is punched in and you are directed to a bay. The wait depends on the straddles allocated to your Tower. Sometimes trucks that arrive after you leave before you, then you know that your container has either not been entered correctly or it has not been found. You walk back to the Tower and ask them to sort it out. Back to your truck. At last the straddle is here and drops the container onto your trailer. You thank the straddle driver, lock the twist locks and out of the Terminal we go – yes yes yes!!! Have any of the big operators ever seen the elation on the faces of their drivers when they leave the terminal gates? Have any of you ever seen the absolute despair when they enter the Terminal? Having been in the queue for three or more hours to get in to the Terminal, it can be another three hours before you get out. The above description is possibly only a third of what happens in a day to a harbour driver. I’ve left out the other enforced stops and delays. THE GENERAL apathy of the ground staff on the ground in Portnet is appalling. There is no regard for their duties and you feel as if you are being done a favour when you are attended to. It is no wonder that Portnet staff reject privatisation. They have absolute certainly that the service provided by themselves would not be tolerated in a private organisation. However, having made the above statement – it is also fair to say that there are some staff that actually are polite and do try to help you. It is sad that the transporters have not been able to stand together - as did the shipping lines - and take Portnet to task to improve the service to the transporters. It would appear that we are all so busy trying to keep the wheels turning that we do not have the time to meet with them. Or could it be that we fear intimidation as Portnet does wield the big stick and is not afraid of using it. They don't need us after all – but the private companies prefer to use private transporters as they receive a more efficient service from them. Any comments on the above, or have I missed something while I have been out driving down there? Signed: Editor's Comment: The writer’s identity is known to FleetWatch but has asked to stay anonymous for fear of intimidation by Portnet officials. We respect that. This is not the first time we have heard from disgruntled drivers who have the unfortunate task of visiting Durban’s terminal facility. And the writer is absolutely correct in saying that Portnet staff rejects privatisation as they know the service levels they currently provide would not be tolerated in a private organisation. According to all sources we speak to, the service levels are abysmal and the above letter once again confirms this. As we have written in the past, the time wasted is not only an economic burden to transport operators but is also a contributory factor to driver fatigue. Drivers have to wait hours before moving off on the journey to Johannesburg or wherever. And because they have had no decent rest due to having to edge along in Portnet’s incredible slow truck queues, they fall asleep behind the wheels of their trucks. There are so many ramifications to this inefficiency. It’s high time that transporters do stand together and take Portnet to task. It’s the absolute pits the way truckers are treated.
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