Anger from transport operators who say something needs to change with the Interislander's Cook Strait ferry service.
The provider is only operating one ferry currently after the Aratere suffered damage hitting a linkspan when docking in Wellington yesterday.
The issue is under investigation by Interislander.
KAM Transport manager Bill Bamber told Kerre Woodham it's not good enough.
He says it's frustrating, and to describe it as a shambles would be an understatement.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Way back oh last year when all of these issues
were going on and numerous people were spoken to about
their frustration about their lack of reliability around the Fairies,
Bill Bamber was spoken to a general manager of trucking
company CAM and he said, I'm not entirely sure. I'm
confident they can get these trucks across. Bill Bamber joins
(00:33):
me now general manager of CAM Transport. Morning Bill, Good
morning carry So how's your level of confidence now a
year on?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, no, nothing much has changed to be fair. No, no,
we've still got the same issues. Yeah, we haven't really
seen any improvement. I mean the fairies did come right
for a good period of time for about six months
just after Christmas and through Christmas. We're we're a good
summer to be fair to them, for both both shipping lines.
(01:04):
But yeah, these sort of things just keep coming down recently,
and I just think it's the other stuff that people
don't really realize. It's like a classic being today being Friday,
and a lot of a lot of owly drivers want
to get home back into the North Island, back to
their families and of course now they're stuck because of
the cancer because they've lived in would have been potentially
(01:26):
booked on those fairies or on the raitary in this case,
and of course it's not sailing, so they've got to
get bumped to another sailing because they don't get on,
they don't get home. And those are the sort of
other side of our business that you know, we've got
a lot of pressures on you guys and ours and
you know, family time. So yeah, it's just, you know,
(01:46):
it's a combination of a lot of things and the
money you know we're getting, we're getting hit in the
pocket with you know, having to delay the freight being delivered,
then missing a day, and then having to put another
vehicle on to cover that vehicle. Yeah, so there's a
lot of a lot of downstream stuff that really the
public don't realize that the trans an industry has to
(02:06):
sort of grattle with every time you know, one of
these incidents happens.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well, I can just imagine the state of an Excel
spreadsheet when when one of your trucks is suddenly impacted
and will be there for another forty eight seventy two
hours when it was meant to be in Manu were
two and there's freight there waiting, and what do you
do with your Excel spreadsheet? Then you know you're right
(02:33):
with the human cost is terrible because I know that
you know that is one of the downsides of being
a driver, as being away from home a lot and
working those long hours to look after your family. But
did it play havoc with your spreadsheet?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well it does. You know, those are the costs. And
you know while they apologize, you know, they apologize for
the for what's happened, but the reality is, yeah, there
is a cost of doing businessing exactly right. We do
have to find another vehicle and to replace it to
make sure that we can still make those connections. At
the end of the day, the customer, you know, they
(03:07):
appreciate it, but they are also get frustrated because they
need the product either in the warehouse or on the
shelves of the supermarkets.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
What can you do about it? Ultimately, as a as
a major customer of can we rail in the entire islander?
How can you flex your influence? How can you make
your feelings feut to them?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Well, well, yeah we're not We're not as big as
some of the other big carriers of course, so the
big big guys in the in the games, like the
main freights and in the Boost transport and those guys
who are crossing a lot and all, they also they've
got more more chants to have some more influence than
(03:53):
I can. I made. My influence really is going through
the Road Transport Forum and hoping as a group we
can get some action. The industry is a bit you know.
I've got an issue where we've got three different transport
organizations at lobby government, which isn't ideal at all. We
should be like the Federated Farmers and just have one voice.
(04:16):
But that's another story for an other day. But yeah,
my action really as I just talked to Dom at
the Artets and try and get some leverage there and
to see, you know, what is happening. What are going
to do about these theories. We all knew along their
proposal was a lucrous and that what we needed was
three theories of what they've the same site has got
(04:36):
now to do the job. And rail is never going
to be the answer to this country with the geographic
nature of it, and we're going to be roads as
roads and we're going to need trucks, and yeah, we
need reliability. Yeah, that's what we're not getting.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, it's the reliability, isn't it. The certainty that you
can say, right, will be there on Wednesday, I'll be
home by Friday. And you have to have that. And
that's kind of what we were talking about on a
larger scale with our exporters and the ports. You have
to be able to have certainty of supply, otherwise your
(05:15):
customers will go elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, I totally agree. And that's that is it is
a right, only it's a it's the fact that we're
you know, we're struggling every every week with the fingers
crossed that we're going to get across and you know,
I can't perish my products. So it's it's even worse.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I was going to say that to you because I
see that you do a lot of refrigeration. So what
happens when you when you've got freight on board? How
long can it stay refrigerated properly when there are delays?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Well you can, Yeah, we're I suppose you've got to
be plugged in or you've just got to keep topping
up the diesel tank. The general you know that runs
the fridge. But it's it's not ideal at all. I mean,
the biggest thing for our customers is shelf life and
possible and they pay a fairly, you fed, a good
price for for us to make those services. And yeah,
(06:08):
you can't keep coming back to them and keeps blacking
the ferry because while it's really you know, while it's
in the media, we've got some chance there. But yeah,
it does get a bit tedious. And as I say,
it's just all the other downstream stuff that affects us
and the extra cost we've got to go through just
to cover it. And yeah, and we don't get any compensation.
They don't. They don't, you know, turn around to the
(06:29):
transport companies and give us a credit for what would
be give us a free sailing. It's very chaps, you know,
look forward to seeing it in a two days time.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So frustrating for you. I can't even imagine. You just
have to take up meditation or you know, fly fishing
or something nice and quiet to soothe your nerves, wouldn't you.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah, we do. It's more of my operations. Guys at work,
you have to book the bookings and it's you know
it must have. It's but similar for me, but certainly
for my guys and the team and my drivers, it's
it's there that's where it's pressure really comes on. Yeh.
We're like everyone in the country. We're hoping that something
(07:13):
is going to do something with that senior management team
and come up with some guys that actually don't know
what they're doing the next they've got a bit of
passion for it and actually look after the customers and
get these faeries sorted, you know. And I mean I
was a commercial manager for in Veranda many years ago
now and I can tell you it's a frustrating industry
(07:33):
to work and because there is a lot of moving parts.
But this this late, you know, these guys really over
the last you know, five or six years. To use
the word as shambles will be an understatement. Yeah that's
my opearing on it and.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Very nice to hear it too. But you have a
great weekend, we'll do. Thank you so much for taking
the time to talk to us. Bill Bamber, General manager
of cam Transport.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Kerry Wooden Mornings, listen live to news
Talks it'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
You're listening to the Kerry Wood of Morning's podcast from
News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Way back oh last year when all of these issues
were going on and numerous people were spoken to about
their frustration about their lack of reliability around the Fairies,
Bill Bamber was spoken to a general manager of trucking
company CAM and he said, I'm not entirely sure. I'm
confident they can get these trucks across. Bill Bamber joins
(00:33):
me now general manager of CAM Transport. Morning Bill, Good
morning carry So how's your level of confidence now a
year on?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, no, nothing much has changed to be fair. No, no,
we've still got the same issues. Yeah, we haven't really
seen any improvement. I mean the fairies did come right
for a good period of time for about six months
just after Christmas and through Christmas. We're we're a good
summer to be fair to them, for both both shipping lines.
(01:04):
But yeah, these sort of things just keep coming down recently,
and I just think it's the other stuff that people
don't really realize. It's like a classic being today being Friday,
and a lot of a lot of owly drivers want
to get home back into the North Island, back to
their families and of course now they're stuck because of
the cancer because they've lived in would have been potentially
(01:26):
booked on those fairies or on the raitary in this case,
and of course it's not sailing, so they've got to
get bumped to another sailing because they don't get on,
they don't get home. And those are the sort of
other side of our business that you know, we've got
a lot of pressures on you guys and ours and
you know, family time. So yeah, it's just, you know,
(01:46):
it's a combination of a lot of things and the
money you know we're getting, we're getting hit in the
pocket with you know, having to delay the freight being delivered,
then missing a day, and then having to put another
vehicle on to cover that vehicle. Yeah, so there's a
lot of a lot of downstream stuff that really the
public don't realize that the trans an industry has to
(02:06):
sort of grattle with every time you know, one of
these incidents happens.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Well, I can just imagine the state of an Excel
spreadsheet when when one of your trucks is suddenly impacted
and will be there for another forty eight seventy two
hours when it was meant to be in Manu were
two and there's freight there waiting, and what do you
do with your Excel spreadsheet? Then you know you're right
(02:33):
with the human cost is terrible because I know that
you know that is one of the downsides of being
a driver, as being away from home a lot and
working those long hours to look after your family. But
did it play havoc with your spreadsheet?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well it does. You know, those are the costs. And
you know while they apologize, you know, they apologize for
the for what's happened, but the reality is, yeah, there
is a cost of doing businessing exactly right. We do
have to find another vehicle and to replace it to
make sure that we can still make those connections. At
the end of the day, the customer, you know, they
(03:07):
appreciate it, but they are also get frustrated because they
need the product either in the warehouse or on the
shelves of the supermarkets.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
What can you do about it? Ultimately, as a as
a major customer of can we rail in the entire islander?
How can you flex your influence? How can you make
your feelings feut to them?
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Well, well, yeah we're not We're not as big as
some of the other big carriers of course, so the
big big guys in the in the games, like the
main freights and in the Boost transport and those guys
who are crossing a lot and all, they also they've
got more more chants to have some more influence than
(03:53):
I can. I made. My influence really is going through
the Road Transport Forum and hoping as a group we
can get some action. The industry is a bit you know.
I've got an issue where we've got three different transport
organizations at lobby government, which isn't ideal at all. We
should be like the Federated Farmers and just have one voice.
(04:16):
But that's another story for an other day. But yeah,
my action really as I just talked to Dom at
the Artets and try and get some leverage there and
to see, you know, what is happening. What are going
to do about these theories. We all knew along their
proposal was a lucrous and that what we needed was
three theories of what they've the same site has got
(04:36):
now to do the job. And rail is never going
to be the answer to this country with the geographic
nature of it, and we're going to be roads as
roads and we're going to need trucks, and yeah, we
need reliability. Yeah, that's what we're not getting.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, it's the reliability, isn't it. The certainty that you
can say, right, will be there on Wednesday, I'll be
home by Friday. And you have to have that. And
that's kind of what we were talking about on a
larger scale with our exporters and the ports. You have
to be able to have certainty of supply, otherwise your
(05:15):
customers will go elsewhere.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Yeah, I totally agree. And that's that is it is
a right, only it's a it's the fact that we're
you know, we're struggling every every week with the fingers
crossed that we're going to get across and you know,
I can't perish my products. So it's it's even worse.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I was going to say that to you because I
see that you do a lot of refrigeration. So what
happens when you when you've got freight on board? How
long can it stay refrigerated properly when there are delays?
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Well you can, Yeah, we're I suppose you've got to
be plugged in or you've just got to keep topping
up the diesel tank. The general you know that runs
the fridge. But it's it's not ideal at all. I mean,
the biggest thing for our customers is shelf life and
possible and they pay a fairly, you fed, a good
price for for us to make those services. And yeah,
(06:08):
you can't keep coming back to them and keeps blacking
the ferry because while it's really you know, while it's
in the media, we've got some chance there. But yeah,
it does get a bit tedious. And as I say,
it's just all the other downstream stuff that affects us
and the extra cost we've got to go through just
to cover it. And yeah, and we don't get any compensation.
They don't. They don't, you know, turn around to the
(06:29):
transport companies and give us a credit for what would
be give us a free sailing. It's very chaps, you know,
look forward to seeing it in a two days time.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So frustrating for you. I can't even imagine. You just
have to take up meditation or you know, fly fishing
or something nice and quiet to soothe your nerves, wouldn't you.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
Yeah, we do. It's more of my operations. Guys at work,
you have to book the bookings and it's you know
it must have. It's but similar for me, but certainly
for my guys and the team and my drivers, it's
it's there that's where it's pressure really comes on. Yeh.
We're like everyone in the country. We're hoping that something
(07:13):
is going to do something with that senior management team
and come up with some guys that actually don't know
what they're doing the next they've got a bit of
passion for it and actually look after the customers and
get these faeries sorted, you know. And I mean I
was a commercial manager for in Veranda many years ago
now and I can tell you it's a frustrating industry
(07:33):
to work and because there is a lot of moving parts.
But this this late, you know, these guys really over
the last you know, five or six years. To use
the word as shambles will be an understatement. Yeah that's
my opearing on it and.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Very nice to hear it too. But you have a
great weekend, we'll do. Thank you so much for taking
the time to talk to us. Bill Bamber, General manager
of cam Transport.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Kerry Wooden Mornings, listen live to news
Talks it'd be from nine am weekdays, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio,
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