A new advocacy group is pushing landside container logistics service providers to have their say on an inquiry into wharf cartage.

The Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) wants all interested parties to speak out at the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) examination of practices at Australia’s five major ports.

The RSRT announced the review earlier this month, saying it may be used to shape new terms and conditions for the ports of Adelaide, Brisbane, Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney.

The Tribunal says its investigations are aimed at improving wharf safety, and the CTAA says the RSRT will have to look far beyond driver pay.

“There is obvious continuous improvement necessary in the whole container transport logistics chain,” CTAA Director Gerard Langes said.

“The difficulties generally arise due to the disconnect between the contractual arrangements within the chain and operational relationships required to ensure efficiency.

Langes noted that should the inquiry recommend it, the RSRT has the power to issue federal orders which could see stevedores and container transport operators locked into a federal scheme similar to Sydney’s - Port Botany Landside Improvement Scheme (PBLIS), which regulates the landside interface.

“For my mind, rather than using an institution established to investigate links between driver remuneration and safety, the first step in improving the wharf/container transport interface is to have a more equitable Service Level Agreement between the stevedores and container transport operators to replace the existing Access Agreements,” he said.

In all capital city ports, except in the regulated Port Botany environment, the Carrier Access Agreements are written by and favour the stevedores.

Road transport carriers have little recourse if trucks are delayed unduly due to poor truck turnaround time performance caused by stevedores, but are still responsible for no-show or late arrival fees.

According to Langes, an ex-global DP World executive; “Transport operators deserve independent, dedicated and committed support to negotiate a new Service Level Agreement, particularly in terminals with major interface issues such as DP World Melbourne”.

“CTAA has already started to facilitate meetings between major container transport operators, beginning the process of negotiating a better deal with stevedores when the Agreements comes up for renewal in July this year.”

The group is calling for all parties in the landside container logistics chain to provide their views to it ahead of the RSRT inquiry, which will be consolidated into a CTAA submission.