www.bifa.org


News Desk


BIFAlink


Seminars stir interest in community solution to Heathrow truck congestion


In January’s edition of BIFAlink we reported on the development of the Advance Information System (AIS) by the not-for-profit representative body CCS-UK User Group. Recently, around 100 representatives of the


UK airfreight community attended the first two seminars introducing this community-led solution to Heathrow’s truck congestion problems.


The seminars, organised by the CCS-UK User


Group, discussed the issues faced by forwarders, airfreight hauliers and handling agents, when cargo is delivered to or collected from the airport’s ageing cargo terminal. Speakers and delegates talked of losing trucks and drivers for several hours in long queues at peak times, while handling agents pointed out the difficulty of scheduling manpower and resources to handle visiting trucks in the absence of any warning of their impending arrival. CCS-UK User Group presented its AIS module as a potential solution to the problem. Delegates were shown how the simple AIS online truck booking process provides handlers with advance notice of trucks’ arrival, together with their ETA. The live system demonstration also showed how the handler receives all shipment information digitally in advance so that, on arrival of the cargo, the reception process is considerably shortened. The audiences learned that, once a record has


been created in AIS, the system triggers regular automatic updates on the status of handling of the vehicle, enabling the forwarder or freight agent to plan subsequent deliveries with greater accuracy.


The AIS concept received a very positive


response from the audiences, with a major carrier and leading handling agents among some 50 organisations expressing interest in deploying the system. AIS is a free of charge add-on to the CCS-UK system. It can be accessed via a web portal or, for more frequent users, through their existing software systems via a simple integration with the AIS module; this eliminates re-keying of data. AIS is already in full daily use with a cross-


section of handling agents, forwarders and hauliers using Heathrow, and is saving time and money for all parties. Representatives of all sectors spoke of their positive experiences to date, and companies which have so far used the portal version announced that they are now planning to move to the fully integrated version. For further information contact Guy Thompson, representing the CCS-UK User Group, at guy.thompson@tiscali.co.uk


By sea – Hague Visby rules (2 SDR): £228 per kg £759.3 per package


By road – CMR (8.33 SDR): £9.49 per kg


By air –Montreal Convention (19 SDR): £21.64 per kg


September 2019


By air –Warsaw Convention (17 SDR): £19.36 per kg


BIFA STC: (2 SDR): £2.28 per kg


(The SDR rate on 13 August 2019, according to the IMF website, was 1.13908)


7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20