Question about intermodal

Ive done containers in the UK's busiest port Felixstowe which is busier than Canadas busiest Vancouver and like you I was very wary of getting involved in containers, but having done it for two years albeit during a recession its not as bad as you'd think.

Your biggest problems are going to be working out how to get around the port area. Felixstowe has over 6000 locations in the main dock plus another 1000 plus in two other locations. So an example might be getting from E 589 where an empty 45 footer might go to collecting my first 20 footer at K 39 which I had to be loaded with the door to front and meant having to arrive in the bay from the wrong direction to then getting to D 296 the right way to load the second 20 footer with the doors to the rear (standard). You'll get your bearings so dont be too worried the secret is to ask if they do a map.

Other things to consider are carrying a single 20 footer (presume you have sliding decks on the trailers over there ) put in the the middle or you'll be overweight on your rear axles and have no traction on a wet/ icey road.

Over here we have strict booking times for collecting and dropping off, no booking is made until a container has either cleared customs or been called off for delivery. These factors help ease congestion and waiting times until high winds, fog or things like snow shut the port.

Containers are secured to trailers with four simple twist locks that need very little explaining. Take a decent hammer just in case your trailer has bent twist locks that dont release.

Some docks, like Felistowe and Thamesport, use overhead cranes to drop and pick the boxes and you pack along side the stacks and you stay in your truck. Others get you to park at the ends of stacks and you get out of the truck while they are overhead or the third way is to use huge rubber tyred mobile lifters (Southampton and Tilbury) where again you get out while they drop and pick up boxes

Felixstowe Cranes



Southampton Rubber Tyred Lifters



In the UK very few asians have been involved in the physical transportation of containers.

English drivers arent always the friendliest but I found that the container boys will help out if asked. Some of the crane drivers can be sods but Ive found more that have helped me mainly because they'll want you out of their hair asap.

Hope Ive been able to help in some way.

Btw we only open the doors to the box ...no lifting EVER !!!!

 

I run containers now out of charleston, sc. It is a pain in the port if you have to switch chasis but if u can keep the same one switching boxes is not that bad. It is pretty simple u go in the person your booking number they print out a card with the location of your box, all rows are numbered and letter, so you might go to spot b 57 and a crane will come put a box on you there, then you slide your print out through a scanner and it will print out a new ticket confirming that you have hooked you box and chasis and are leaving the port. That is the easy part what sucks is the chasis, it is hard to find a good one. The tires suck and a lot of times the lights don't all work, so you have to take it to maintance to get it fixed. If you blow a tire on the road then it cost you if you are an o/o. That's why it is best to keep your chasis as long as you can, but you can't always because you may be getting a different size box or picking up at a different port. Finding chasis is what is so time consuming. Also you want to get your load the day before so you can roll out in the morning, the port is hell first thing in the morning. Drivers arew usually pretty good to one another but in the port they are like crabs in a pot all trying to get their loads fast. As far as the money you are talking I owned my truck a few years back at best $2000 more likely I avg around 1200 to 1500 but ended up giving up my truck cause of rising fuel and when I did that I was lucky to pocket 700 to 800. I would talk to some guys in your area, hoped this helped.

 

Dont your chassis do all sizes ? Most of our trailers are sliders that take a 45 footer, 2 x 20 foot or single 20 footers.

Yeah ports over here get busy at 3-4am best to be loaded the night before or by 3am.

 

Buckaneer, we chasis that slide from 40 to 45' but if you need to haul a 20' box you have to get a 20' chasis. I wish we had chasis for all sizes. Also our port doesn't even open till 8 am and closes at 5pm so you have to be in by 4pm to do a full swap or else you can only do one move. Wish our ports were open that early. That's why its best to get your load a head of time or you won't be on the road till 9 or 10 if your lucky.

 

No problem angry, just make sure you are gonna make what they say you are. Like I said the chasis hurt can kill your time and be very agrevating. If you are going to make what you said the hassel is well worth it, if you are going to make 700 it is not. It is not hard to learn the ports once you go thru them a few times and they should have a map. It is like any job some days are good and some are not. Most shippers have you in and out in an hour or two, but there are days like I had today took 4 hours to load then when I got back to the port to get my load for tomorrow the booking number wasn't right and I had to go to drivers asst two times and call dispatch to call the shipping line cause they said my box was at a different port, finally got it stright and my chasis was not in the hole it was suppose to be finally got a chasis and loaded my box, today was not a good day I spent 2.5 hours setting at the port and 4 hours loading. 6 hours making $0.00 but that's how it goes sometimes, but last week was good ran 4 loads from charleston to charlotte and off on Friday. Hope it works out good for ya.

 

I do four ports in the UK from the smaller ports of Tilbury / Thamesport to the two largest of Southampton and Felixstowe that are open 24/7. Only over Christmas and Public holidays do they shut/ close early or open late.

As for the chassis ours only slide 20-40 the 45 boxes overhang 2.5 feet either end on the 40 foot twistlocks.

I'd suggest Angry Trucker tries to rent, lease or buy a 20-40 slider if they can as the company I work for gets the jobs third party and they never know the box size half the time but they have the kit to cope.

Worst delay was 6 hours as customs decided to strip the container and only physically cleared it after their office shut so couldnt release it. Im hourly paid so it didnt matter to me.

 

years ago I used to haul cans out of the port of Montreal to Toronto area. Yes it can be done in one day, I used to run from Montreal to Toronto and back in the same day. There are times when I was held up at the port when it was busy, sometimes there will be a line up waiting to get into a particular part of the port, but for the most part it was pretty easy work. Montreal port is not as big as other ports I have been to like New Jersy or Vancouver, it is not hard to figure out.

I never had a problem with anybody working at the port or the container yards, once you get to know them they are all very friendly and helpful.

I doubt very much that you would make 2500 per week nowdays, I expect that it is much lower now, I still know guys hauling cans, and I think 1800 max after expenses would be a more realistic figure. I don't think there are many companies out there anymore that pay really well to haul containers, you may do ok if you don't have a big truck payment, I really don't know anymore what companies are decent there are so many of them.