Joint statement from:
Sabah Freight Forwarders & Logistics Association (SABFFLA) & Persatuan Pengusaha Lori Kontena Kota Kinabalu (PPLKKK)
During the past few months, local containers hauliers and freight forwarders were facing tough time in returning of empty containers to the appointed depot of liners namely Maersk (agent by Harrison) and MTT. We were made to wait for several hours or turned away with nowhere to go. This delay has affected the livelihood of drivers who are on trip commissions. Hauliers are facing with the empty containers remaining on their trailers thus unable to perform their next assignment until the empty containers are unloaded.
Our drivers are on trip based allowance, a waiting time of four hours mean they lose one trip lesser in a day, and it is a substantial amount if accumulated over a month – what more if it was already started since end of last year. If drivers have less income, it literally translates to company having less income too – during this critical time, every minute wasted is money burnt for all the logistics players.
Apart from that, logistics industry is also about scheduling and turnaround time. While these delays in just one depot could eat up the subsequent containers’ delivery schedule which is a cost for the importers and transporters too – The Domino Effects.
These container owners are also charging exorbitant Detention & Demurrage (D&D) charges for late return of empty containers. So should the containers owners compensate us for delay in returning the trailers to us too? If these containers are delayed, the importers or hauliers (most of the time) will have to absorb for the additional charges. Adding up to the Domino Effect, the delay of next container deliveries will be a further blow and loss to transporters while the importers receiving their containers and materials at a later date, disruption of the whole logistics chain will flow through and affect the consumers market stability thereafter.
Therefore, we suggest the particular container owners to consider appointing additional depots instead of just relying on one, or to allow longer D&D free days for their containers in order to cope with such acute turnaround situation.
