From today, a new ‘Chain of Responsibility’ fee is appearing on the DP World Fremantle Carrier Access Public Tariff Schedule, essentially marking the official introduction of the new weigh-in-motion (WIM) system which has been slowly rolled out over the past month.
But what is it, what does it mean, and does anyone really care how much your container weighs?
Put simply, all trucks carrying full import containers leaving the Terminal by road are now required to pass through the WIM system, ensuring container weights haven’t been declared incorrectly, and ensuring vehicles are legal to carry the weights indicated.
As freight forwarders with decades of experience, we’ve always reinforced with our clients the importance of an accurate Verified Gross Mass (VGM) declaration, to ensure the safety of all those involved in the supply chain.
In the same way that airlines weigh baggage before it is loaded onto a plane to ensure even weight distribution, mis-declared container weights can result in unbalanced loads on vessels, infrastructure damage when loading/unloading, and put workers at risk.
We’ve heard anecdotal stories of cranes bending and swing lift chains snapping while unknowingly attempting to move containers that were heavier than expected, events that can potentially cause serious injury or even death, should a worker be impacted.
Mis-declared containers can also pose a serious risk during landside transportation, once again potentially causing unbalanced loads and may result in a vehicle exceeding General Vehicle Mass (GVM) limits.
So important is this issue, we encourage clients to determine container weights to the nearest kilogram (and not within a 10-20kg range) – and all containers that leave our warehouse are weighed on scales that are recalibrated every six months to ensure precise accuracy.
We offer advice to our clients on how to ensure accurate container weights at the supplier end, which may include weighing each individual item of cargo and adding the weight of the container, or simply loading the container first and then having it weighed.
Despite this advice, mis-declared container weights can and do occur, whether that’s through being incorrectly weighed and calculated, miscommunication or human error.
However, regardless of how the mistake is made, ultimate responsibility is with the cargo owner – that’s you as the importer – and any financial penalty will be at your cost.
Added to that is the risk of further delays to your cargo, especially if the mis-declared weight results in a container being unloaded from the truck and having to be reloaded on a vehicle with a greater mass limit or permit.
The Chain of Responsibility refers to the notion that all parties within the supply chain have a legal obligation to ensure road transport laws aren’t breached – and that includes by ensuring container weights are accurately declared.
And, as with customs and quarantine declarations, ignorance is no excuse.
With the roll out of the WIM system at DP World Fremantle, and now the added Chain of Responsibility Fee appearing on invoices, there is simply no excuse for importers not to be aware of the importance of this issue and understanding their responsibility in declaring an accurate VGM declaration.
Lives may depend on it.
