Corner Brook -
Some small trucking operators say changing a few deadlines won't change their opinion of the commercial reservation system or the capacity issues at Marine Atlantic.
Marine Atlantic recently changed the deadline to cancel reservations from 12 hours to 24 hours allowing for greater access to the last-minute berths. It also changed the check-in time to two hours in advance of a crossing, down from three hours. The system went live Monday.
Karen Peckford, office manager for Double G Trucking, said she likes the idea of a commercial reservation system, but in practice, it doesn't work.
She says she still spends about half her day on the phone and online trying to make changes to get the crossings her trucks need. At present she has four trucks on the mainland and the earliest reservation she could get is for July 8. She wants to get them back Thursday, Friday and Saturday if she can. She'll know some time today if she can get the Thursday crossing she wants.
"There's nothing available, so the website doesn't make a difference," Peckford said.
The system is costing the company business, she says. With five trucks crossing the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the company used to be able to handle 10 trips to Halifax and back to Corner Brook every week. Because they can't get the reservations they need, that part of the business is slowly fading and her trucks are going deeper into the United States to get the miles they used to drive in Atlantic Canada.
The problem for her isn't the reservation system, it's the capacity. If there was space available, there wouldn't be a problem. She said there's no trouble getting a reservation from Port aux Basques to North Sydney. The problem is getting back to the island.
"I've got no problem with reservations, I like it, but you can't get reservations," she said. "That's a problem.
Greg Peckford, owner of Double G, said the changes aren't making a difference to the system. The system is awful at the moment, but he figures with time Marine Atlantic can get it running smoother.
Tying up money
Barb Brake, Sparkes Transportation's office manager, said the new system needlessly ties up money. You pay when you make the reservation, not when you travel. The changes didn't affect that.
Her company hauls explosives such as ammonium nitrate. She's lucky because she doesn't have to send trucks at a moment's notice, so she can plan.
Changing the cancellation deadline from 12 hours to 24 hours might give some companies a bit of relief because they might be able to get to the boat at the last minute.
She knows in advance when she needs to be crossing the gulf. Other companies are not so lucky.
With that two hours before sailing, I think that's better than three hours. Anything can happen in that timespan. With dangerous goods crossings and other specialty crossings the deadline to be at the terminal is still six hours.
"It puts a lot of pressure on my drivers trying to get there six hours ahead," Brake said. "The only way the two-hour deadline affects me is getting my drivers off the island, because we're going off empty."
She's got her bookings for July, now she has to start working to figure out August's schedule while there's still room.
