Effective 1 October Air Canada is billing forwarders and shippers who do not return ULDs (unit load devices) within five days. The daily demurrage charges range from US$6 to $75.
Prior to removing a unit from an Air Canada Cargo terminal, drivers have to sign a ULD control receipt, which has to be handed in when the unit is returned to the carrier. The drivers also sign that the unit is in good condition. Severely damaged ULDs incur charges that range from $15 for missing or damaged straps to $1,080-$2,160 for lost containers.
“This is strictly a matter of trying to manage our assets better. It’s too costly to have ULDs out for too long,” said Claude Morin, president of Air Canada Cargo.
“This has been a source of frustration over many years. When we get to a busy time, we always run short of ULDs at key stations,” he added.
According to IATA estimates, there are about one million ULDs in service in the air cargo industry worth nearly $1.3 billion.