Time frame for cargo trucks to arrive at Port of Santos extended until May

The time frame for trucks carrying containers and loose cargo to arrive at the Port of Santos, which has been the same since January, has been extended for another month. The grace period will stay three hours from the original appointment time until May 1, and then, starting from May 2, it will be reduced to two hours in accordance with Santos Port Authority (SPA) regulations.

According to the Port Authority, the extension was requested by two unions, Sindicam and Sindisan, representing self-employed transporters and commercial cargo transport companies.

The new regulation, which took effect on October 1, is in its second adaptation phase. The current adaptation stage to the new tolerance period for heavy vehicle reception, in effect since January 1, was scheduled to end on April 2 but was later extended as requested by the unions.

The president of Sindicam, Luciano Santos de Carvalho, says he does not oppose the new scheduling rules. Still, he underlined a lack of adequate access infrastructure for cargo carriers destined for both sides of the Port of Santos.

“The port lacks the infrastructure to receive the trucks. There is no parking space to accommodate the carriers if the truck driver arrives before (the scheduled time). If you arrive after the three-hour grace period, you must pay the penalty for being late.”

Luciano stated that the discussions on the grace period for transporters arriving in the port area had not yet concluded. “On average, 600 trucks enter and leave the Port of Santos transporting containers daily. If we include the transport of loose cargo loads, there are approximately 5,000 trucks on the road every day. That is just for self-employed people alone, who account for half of the carriers who use the port every 24 hours.”

According to the SPA, the changes aim to reduce the permanence of trucks near the port complex and create more scheduling windows for truck drivers. But the president of the Union of Commercial Cargo Transport Companies of the Coast of São Paulo (Sindisan), André Luís Neiva, stated that “since the beginning, Sindisan was against this measure. The directive that established the five hours grace period was very well-elaborated, and carriers participated in its design. However, with all the access problems today, we are not in a scenario favorable for this change.”

Neiva explained that the impact felt during the first adaptation phase, which reduced the grace period by one hour, was not significant because the volume demand for freight services dipped below average. His greatest concern, however, is the impending harvest season.

“Our concern is with the approving harvest season and the road works that are expected to take a long time. We understand that if this new measure proves effective, it should only be implemented after the end of the works and in the off-season.”

There is no time frame change scheduled for solid vegetable bulk carriers, as these trucks arrive from long distances that require days of travel.

Source: A Tribuna

To read the original news reporting, please visit: https://www.atribuna.com.br/noticias/portomar/tolerancia-para-caminhoes-no-porto-e-prorrogada-ate-maio

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