1) Why is VBS necessary at the Port of Felixstowe?

By ensuring that drivers pre-book their containers for collection/delivery within certain allocated time slots, VBS will enable a better spread of jobs throughout the working day.

VBS will virtually eliminate the current rejections that occur within the gate complexes. Currently, approximately 15% of all arriving drivers are rejected due to incorrect or incomplete information being entered in advance of their arrival. The introduction of VBS will enable the Port to use the information provided in advance to improve the service level to hauliers.

2) Will there be a charge for using VBS?

Following negotiations with Port users, hauliers and the Road Haulage Association, it has been agreed that 'Peak Period' and 'Late Notification' charges will not be raised. There will still be a 'No Show' charge of £21.00 to help prevent abuse of the system.

There will be no charge for 'late change of information'. However, any changes made within 90 minutes of the start of the booking period will render the user exempt from claiming credit for subsequent 'No Show' charges, should service levels not be met.

3) How do I gain access to VBS?

Companies will need a 'User Name' and 'Password' in order to gain access to VBS, for which they will have to complete a Direct Debit mandate to allow the Port of Felixstowe to collect any charges. A copy of the Registration Form can be found here...

4) What do I have to use VBS for?

VBS only applies to collections and deliveries by road at Trinity Terminal. It must be used for all containers, full or empty, import or export (or 'frustrated export').

5) How do I make a booking?

All drivers arriving at Trinity Terminal will require a 'booking', which must be created before they arrive; the booking will be for a specific hour of the day, and will hold details of the containers that the driver is exchanging, i.e. you will require one booking for each visit, not one for each container. It will be possible to make a booking up to seven days in advance.

The system will be solely web-based, and will set limits on the number of truck visits allowed in each hour.

Making bookings:

There will be one type of booking only (i.e. there are no provisional bookings)

Bookings can be made with or without containers.

• With Containers
  
  To make a booking, the user will enter the container numbers and select a time period. The system will then return a Booking Number, which the driver will have to use on arrival at the in-gate.
  
• Without Containers
  
  Bookings can be made without container numbers for a specific time period, and a Booking Number will be received. The container numbers must be added before the driver arrives; it should also be noted that the 'late change of information' conditions apply if the changes are not made within 90 minutes of the start of the booking period (see question 2). If no container numbers are added and the booking is not used, a 'No Show' charge will be incurred.
  

Other conditions relating to bookings are as follows:

• The number of containers is limited to 2 TEU exports and 2 TEU imports (except for flats)
• All containers on a booking must be on, or for, Trinity Terminal
• No container may exist on another VBS booking, unless its 'state' (import/export/frustrated export) is different
• Exports must be pre-entered (including flats)
• The export vessel must be open for receiving on the date for which the booking is made
• Exports must be booked for a time that is before the vessel Estimated Departure Time
• Imports must be cleared of all Government body holds etc. (HMRC, Port Health, PHSI, HMI, Forestry)
• Imports must not have any Port of Felixstowe holds
• Imports must be landed (with the exception of 'Load and Go' periods - see question 10)
• Imports must be released
• Frustrated exports must be on the Terminal
• Frustrated exports must be released
• Frustrated exports must not have any HMRC local holds or examinations
• Transhipments cannot be added to bookings

6) Can bookings be changed?

Bookings can be changed any time up to driver arrival. The container numbers can be changed (as long as the new ones comply with the rules), and the booking period itself can be changed, subject to two rules:

• They can only be moved to hours that still have vacant bookings
• They can only be moved within a six-hour timeframe from the original booking period

Note: When the driver arrives at the gates, containers can be removed from bookings, but no additions will be permitted.

7) Can bookings be cancelled?

Bookings can only be cancelled during a 'Weather Affected Period' (see question 13).

During normal operations, any unwanted bookings can be transferred into an 'Exchange'. Bookings will be allocated from the Exchange first, i.e. if a user requests a booking at, for example, 18:00 hrs, and there is one booking for this period available in the Exchange and other unallocated bookings still within the general pool, then the Exchange booking will be used first, on a 'first in, first out' basis.

If a booking is placed in the Exchange and is not used, then the original user will be charged for a 'No Show'.

8) What happens if drivers arrive at the Port without bookings?

Drivers without valid bookings will not be allowed to wait inside the Port. This will leave access to the gates free for booked vehicles, and queues in front of the in-gates will be minimised.

9) How will hauliers be able to find out the status of their bookings?

As part of the system, a 'Booking Manager' facility will allow hauliers to see a list of all their bookings in ascending order, with a 'traffic light' indicator showing the status of each:

10) Why do I need a PIN for collections?

The system in Felixstowe keeps the Booking and the Release separate rather than combining them. This allows the Releasee on Destin8 to retain control of the container at all times e.g. If a Line cancels a release the checks in the gate systems make sure that the container is not allowed to leave.
It also increases security because the system in the gates requires the driver to know at least two items of information i.e. the Booking Number and the PIN (or have the correct vehicle registration). This makes releasing more secure than simply requiring a single reference number.
The use of Booking Numbers and PIN's also ensures that the booking number never changes (something we were asked to avoid at all costs) and it keeps the booking umber as short as possible; the maximum is 8 digits which allows for our volumes but prevents duplication.

It should also be noted that the Vehicle Registration can (and often is) used instead of a PIN. Although this does not suit all situations it does reduce the information the driver needs. It is also considered more secure as anyone can quote a PIN but for a Vehicle Registration the driver has to be driving the right truck.

11) What if I have an urgent collection for a container landed overnight?

'Load and Go' - VBS will have a facility for early morning collections. Normally, the system will require all import containers to be landed and cleared. To allow for 'Load and Go', hauliers will be able to create bookings for containers that are not yet landed/cleared, but are to be collected outside office opening times. In so doing, they will have to accept the risks involved, e.g. if the container does not become available in time for the collection.

12) Are there any special provisions for 'overnight' bookings?

Between 23:00 hrs and 05:00 hrs the usual booking rules are relaxed. Vehicles can be in-gated at any time during this period, provided the driver has a valid booking. Please note the latest booking period that this applies to is 04:00/05:00.
However, service levels should not be relied upon, and any bookings not processed by 05:00 hrs will be timed out .

13) What happens in the event of the closure of shipping lines' empty allocations?

When a 'stock empty' allocation is closed for receiving, all existing bookings will be accepted at the in-gates, but it will not be possible to add further containers to the booking, or create new ones.

14) What happens if container operations at the Port are disrupted due to bad weather/high winds?

At the approach of bad weather (based on the most up-to-date weather forecasting information available), the Port will set a 'Weather Affected Period' ('WAP') on VBS. The end time will be set in order to allow sufficient time in which to deal with any backlogs once the high winds abate, e.g.:

When a WAP is set, an e-mail will be sent to all users notifying them of the times of the WAP (and any changes). The following rules will apply:

• Bookings can continue to be made during the course of the WAP until the hourly limits have been reached.
• Bookings can be cancelled during the WAP. These will be deleted completely, i.e. not placed into the Exchange
• All Bookings remain valid, and can be in-gated at any time during the WAP - for example, a booking for the first hour of the WAP is still valid when the gates re-open, because the WAP is still in force to help to clear any backlogs
• No charges will be made during the WAP
• Bookings during the WAP can be moved to a period outside (but normal booking rules will apply)

15) How long will a booking period be valid?

Bookings will be valid for a one-hour period, starting and ending on the hour.

16) What will be the maximum number of bookings allowed at any one time?

The Port will set a limit on the number of bookings allowed in any one-hour period. This will be set at approximately the number of trucks that can be processed through the gates in any one hour. The Port will not be using VBS to reduce the number of trucks entering the Terminals.

The Port has the ability to limit any one haulier's allowance of bookings. Presently, the Port does not believe that this will be required, but, if it is found that individual hauliers are 'hoarding' bookings, this may have to be reviewed.

It has also been agreed to reduce the number of bookings that can be handled during changeover hours, to reflect the reduced operating capacity of the yard during this time. These hours will be:

06:00 hrs - 07:00 hrs (Monday to Saturday)
18:00 hrs - 19:00 hrs (Monday to Friday)

The number of bookings available on Saturdays 07:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs, and Sundays 23:00 hrs to Mondays 07:00 hrs, has also been reduced, but only to a level that is far above actual demand.

17) How will charges be levied (if incurred)?

Invoices will not be issued, but copies will be available online. All charges will be collected by Direct Debit. To join VBS, companies will have to complete a Direct Debit mandate to allow the Port of Felixstowe to collect any charges. A copy of the Direct Debit mandate form can be found here...

18) What are the service levels?

To assist in the planning of bookings - for guidance purposes only - the indicative service levels will be as follows:-

1-part job = 40 minutes
2-part job = 60 minutes
3-part job = 80 minutes
4-part job = 100 minutes

19) What if these service levels are not met?

If these service levels are not met, and a haulier has a 'No Show' for a booking with containers between two and four hours later, then the charge will be cancelled.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS YOUR SOLE REMEDY, AND YOU SHOULD REFER TO THE PORT OF FELIXSTOWE'S GENERAL TRADING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, WHICH APPLY TO VBS AND WHICH LIMIT THE PORT'S LIABILITY.

These can be found at:

http://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/commercial/documents/GTTC0507.pdf

20) When is the Port planning to introduce VBS?

The system will be introduced in the following phases:

I. November 2007
Trials with volunteers started at the end of November and were successful.

II. 22nd January November 2008.
Implementation at the North Gates with a group of volunteer Hauliers

III. 11th. Febuary 2008.
On this date the system was opened up to allow all registered hauliers to make and use bookings for any gate on a voluntary basis.

IV. 1st. April.
Mandatory use by every haulier - 'No Booking, No Container'. From this date drivers arriving without bookings have been instructed to leave the Terminal and obtain a booking from their company. There are no limits on the number of bookings per hour. Amendments to bookings at the gates are permitted. Collections and deliveries can be made 12 hours either side of the booking time. No charges will be levied, and no service levels set.

V. 19th May 2008 .
From this date Containers can not be added to bookings at the gate but they can be removed.
The limits were set at 250 bookings/hour with a tolerance of 3 hours either side of the booking time.

The conditions of the system will continue to be tightened in a phased approach and the final parameters for VBS will be established during the following stages ensuring that the final hourly bookings reflect our processing capabilities and the arrival 'tolerances' adjusted accordingly.
Details of these next stages are given below:

28th July 2008. The 'tolerances', i.e. the period either side of the booking in which the driver can arrive, will be reduced from 3 to 2 hours.

25th August 2008 .The hourly bookings will be reduced from 250 to 240.

22nd. September 2008 Hourly bookings adjusted to reflect the capacity of the gates.

*The Port reserves the right to apply 'No Show' charges if the system is being abused and hauliers systematically make more bookings than are being used.

The Port will continue to develop the system taking into account the views and observations of its customers, at every stage of the implementation process.

21) What do I do about Direct Deliveries

These will be dealt with outside the Vehicle Booking System. If you would like more information please contact us using the details below.

22) Is there a VBS Help desk

As from the mandatory date (1st. April) a 24 hour helpdesk will be available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays). Prior to this the hours will be 07:00 to 23:00 Monday to Friday.

At weekends the helpdesk will close at 15:00hrs Saturday and reopen at 23:00hrs Sunday.

The helpdesk can be contacted during these times on 01394 604060.

23) Where can I obtain more information from?

This website will be updated as the implementation process progresses. The website also features an 'Alert Subscription' area, where hauliers are encouraged to subscribe in order to receive updates on operational conditions at the Port of Felixstowe, and other useful information.

In addition to this website, the Port will continue to liaise with the relevant customers, interested parties and trade bodies to ensure a timely and accurate flow of information throughout the whole of the implementation process.

A dedicated e-mail address - vbsadministrators@fdrc.co.uk has been set up to receive enquiries from hauliers, or you can contact the VBS helpdesk on 01394 604060

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THESE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE LEGALLY BINDING. PLEASE REFER TO THE PORT OF FELIXSTOWE'S GENERAL TRADING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, WHICH APPLY TO VBS.

These can be found at:

http://www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk/commercial/documents/GTTC0507.pdf