Evidence of the kind of treatment vehicle operators can expect when delivering to some major retailers has been emerging since Motor Transport ran its story about the penalty charges that can follow early or late deliveries to a number of B&Q and Screwfix DCs.
The Hub hears that at B&Q’s Doncaster site, incoming trucks are often told to wait in what one vehicle operator describes as a ‘holding pen’ until the site can accommodate the consignment, with the official delivery time being based upon subsequent unloading, rather than the time the vehicle actually arrived on site.
The vehicle operator we heard from cited an instance where its truck arrived over 15 minutes early on one occasion and was stuck in the ‘pen’ for almost an hour, which led to a fine being issued to its client for a ‘late’ delivery.
“Fortunately, we were able to prove through our trackers that we did actually arrive on time,” says a source at the firm. “Hauliers who do not have trackers on their vehicles may have no way of proving this.”
The same firm went on to highlight an even more interesting problem that can crop up when a truck is carrying two separate orders for delivery on the same day at different times.
“Common sense says that if the two orders will fit on the same vehicle, you will put them on one truck rather than sending two,” says our contact at the company.
“Obviously, you send the vehicle to make the earlier booking slot and B&Q will tip the goods. They will then off-load the goods booked for the later slot at the same time…. then use this as another means to raise a deviation [late penalty notice], saying you arrived too early for your [second] slot or you offloaded goods on another booking slot.”
No such approach is applied, however, where the retailer’s DCs email logistics firms to say they are running four hours behind schedule with unloading, points out the vehicle operator. “This is seemingly acceptable when the boot is on the other foot,” says our contact.
B&Q has declined to discuss its penalty charge system with us, saying only that it has “agreed terms and conditions with our suppliers as part of their contracts”.
It adds: “These contracts are individual to each supplier, the terms of which are private and confidential”.
Screwfix initially said it had a vendor agreement which included a standard clause stating penalty fines applicable for late delivery which it said was "consistent across our suppliers".
It has, however, subsequently issued a second, longer statement stressing the essential nature of deliveries to its DCs and pointing out that its agreements with suppliers are confidential.