The cargo carriers They claim that there are delays in the sealing that is carried out on the merchandise in transit that moves in trucks. They point out that one of the companies that offers the service has an agreement with the Customs Brokers Association (ADAU) that allows it to keep a good part of the market. According to the carriers, this generates hours of delay in freight that translates into higher costs for the owners of the merchandise.
There are six companies that are dedicated to sealing cargo. The last one that got the approval to provide this service is Block Trucker. The carriers’ criticisms are directed at her and her shippers.
The president of the Chamber of International Land Transportation (Catidu), Mauro Borzaconnireported to The Observer that National Customs Directorate (DNA) established more than a decade ago that merchandise in transit that is loaded onto trucks must have an electronic seal.
“At that time, Customs said that it was a measure that provided transparency, traceability, and prevented the theft of merchandise. In addition, it would make foreign trade more agile, ”he said.
He indicated that for many years the system worked correctly and the waiting times to load the merchandise were shortened. But in recent times the situation has changed and that happened after Block Trucker was approved as a cargo sealer.
“The company reached an agreement with the ADAU and gives it a 10% commission“, he claimed. According to Borzaconni, from then on, the shipping union began to work more actively with the company, contracting sealing services. And the delays returned.
“Four or five hours of delay are lost and what was speeding up before is now stuck again. That will translate into raising the cost of freight to the customer. The dispatchers do not give the benefit to the client, I I waste time and money and they get a commission,” said the businessman.
As a representative of the union, he requested a meeting with the national director of Customs, Jaime Borgiani, to update the situation. “The director of Customs has nothing to do with it, but we still want to ask him about it,” he said.
The president of Catidu explained that he does not question that a commission is involved as a commercial practice. “If they commissioned and were efficient, no one would be talking about this. Why did you find out? Because it’s not working,” he remarked.
Industry sources consulted by The Observer They said that one of the annexes to the approval granted to Block Trucker states that Customs can sanction and even suspend it if there are breaches in the levels of service quality. And one of those levels refers to the delays in the sealing. They indicated that Block Trucker does not have any sanctions from the DNA for delays in the granting of the service.
The Observer He wanted to communicate with ADAU executives but they are abroad and he could not establish contact. The sources added that what exists between the dispatchers union and five seal companies (including Block Trucker) are contracts for collection management service. In other words, it pays the companies the cost of the seal and then transfers it to the clients (owners of the merchandise).
Block Trucker was also consulted, but from the company they preferred not to make statements.
