Shenzhen terminal operators told to stop gate fees on truckers

A DOCUMENT issued by the China National Development and Reform Commission, requires container terminals in Shenzhen to stop charging "gate fees" on container trucks, Logistics Week reported.

The measure is said to reduce the cost of Shenzhen's container truck industry by nearly CNY300 million (US$44 million).

Shenzhen's terminals first started charging a gate fee in 1998, claiming "to improve traffic conditions of port areas, to speed the transit of cargo and enhance competitiveness".

But the charge has been opposed by the city's container trucking industry. The industry association has been negotiating with terminal operators and appealing to the government to abolish the charge for years, but with no result.

In 2008, the container yards unilaterally raised the gate fee and triggered strong protest from truckers. The dispute was finally solved through the mediation of Shenzhen government, with the container yards agreeing to lower the fee to the same level as before the raise.

But the truckers insisted the charge was illegal, because carrying container into terminal was to fulfil the obligation prescribed in the ground transportation contract, and a terminal's allowing the entry of trucks was an obligation in the service contract signed by terminal and ocean carriers. Truckers argued that as they had no contract with terminals, thus the terminal should not charge them for access to their facilities.

After years of appeals, the argument prevailed at the Pricing Department of the China National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Water Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Transport came to Shenzhen in September 2009 to discuss the problem and issued a document in October requiring terminals to stop charging gate fee.

(Source: www.schednet.com)