Rase pallet delivery

A commitment by Palletways member Rase Distribution to decline any residential deliveries of pallets weighing more than 750kg has cost it £13,000 this year in additional charges, the company revealed this week.

Despite the additional costs, which have been incurred in hiring other operators to collect and deliver the rejected heavy loads from Rase Distribution’s depot, the Lincolnshire firm is adamant it will continue its ban.

This week it called on Palletways to respect its stance and request inputters to split their loads in to 750kg pallets or below.

The ban was introduced by Rase Distribution, which is owned by HW Coates, in November last year after the firm concluded, following a risk assessment, that tail-lift deliveries of pallets over 750kg to residential addresses posed an unacceptable risk to drivers.

At the time Rase said it would split those loads that were divisible into lighter loads. In January this year, the company extended the restriction to include even those loads over 750kg that are divisible.

Owner Tom Coates said: “We have paid £13,000 in courier costs this year since we stopped delivering any pallets over 750kg and we did that because our risk assessment showed weights above that to be unsafe.

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“Palletways knows we did a risk assessment but continues to allow heavy loads to be sent for residential delivery. Where does our contractual obligation to deliver an unsafe pallet stop?”

Rase Distribution MD Geoff Hill added: “We are disappointed that Palletways are making no effort to observe our safety strategy. We know that depots are being told by regional managers to send these overweight pallets to us as normal.”

He pointed to two recent incidents as examples. “We refused to deliver two heavy pallets of slabs. The issuing member could not find anyone in the area to deliver them on a tail-lift. Finally they hired Denby Transport to come and pick them up with a large HIAB crane (pictured). But we had to pick up the additional cost of that at £250.”

He added: “Another delivery courier arrived here last Friday to collect an eight-pallet consignment for home delivery which was above our limit of 750kg.

“The driver returned to our depot having delivered four of the eight pallets, after he has injured his back during the delivery. The driver had refused to continue the delivery after he hurt himself so returned the pallets back to our depot.

“He knew of our quest to reduce pallet weights for B2C deliveries and commented that 'it was not before time and should be implemented across the board and straight away'.”

A spokeswoman for Palletways said: "Regrettably, we are unable to comment on the day-to-day activities of our members  delivering services through the Palletways network.

"The relationship between a network and its members is invariably complex and involves confidential information on both sides."

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