Hauliers in Malaysia may introduce flat-rate for all boxes
POSTED: 11:47 a.m. EDT, January 2,2007 THE Container Hauliers Association of Malaysia (Cham) is sticking to its guns in imposing a controversial flat-rate haulage tariff for all containers regardless of whether they measure 20, 40 or 45-feet from the first of the year. Freight forwarders and shippers oppose the move as they claim it will lead to a doubling of existing haulage rates, reported Kuala Lumpur's Business Times. It said that from January 1, the haulage fee for all container sizes will be based on the 40-foot rate, which varies dramatically from locality to locality. Yet tariffs are mostly in the range of MYR700 (US$198.17) to MYR1,000 per TEU with a doubling of rates for 40-foot boxes. A Cham spokesman was cited saying local shippers are given rebates of between 10-40 per cent per 40-foot unit, depending on the individual hauliers. "Thus, the fear that the single box-rate tariff would effectively see a rate hike in 20-foot container deliveries by 100 per cent i...