9 August 2004

VPA introduces appointment system changes for trucks

The following article is excerpted from the 9 August 2004 edition of “Canadian Transportation & Logistics”.

The Centerm terminal at the Port of Vancouver is revising its appointment system to improve the flow of trucks in and out of the terminal.

The changes are being [instituted] to reduce the number of "no shows," which are cancellations made too late to allow other trucks to use the time slot. Currently, about 40 per cent of the 660 daily appointments are "no shows," the terminal says.

Also, the terminal has expressed concerns about trucks that are late for their appointments, which result in peaks and valleys that get worse as the day progresses.

The Centerm terminal has a capacity of about 760 trucks per day when the flow of vehicles is continuous. In order to get closer to that maximum capacity, Centerm is modifying its appointment system to include "standby" appointments. …. As an appointment is cancelled, a standby appointment will become an actual appointment and will be able to fill the vacated slot. Companies on standby will be notified by e-mail when an appointment is secured.

Centerm is calling on trucking companies to manage their appointments responsibly and promptly canceling appointments that cannot be kept or are no longer required. The terminal plans on producing two reports that will show how well carriers are managing… Carriers will be able to monitor how well they are managing their appointments compared to other trucking companies.

The terminal also warned that if this self-monitoring system doesn't help improve appointment statistics, an enforcement model will be considered.