Doing it yourself and not just watching: the 20 trainees and employees of our partners who attended the first hub seminar at the end of September were able to take part in theoretical and practical exercises. Why hold a hub seminar at all? Because we can provide comprehensive background information that way. And that is a great help in understanding how the elements of the transport chain are interconnected.
Therefore, along with presentations on the activities taking place at the hub, there were some concrete tasks to carry out. One was organising overload spills. That must be done very quickly in real operations, since the data used to calculate the excess load is often not available until 8:30 p.m. But the extra cargo also must reach the destination as quickly as possible.
The participants were also very interested in the topic of penalties. It is important to pay attention to many things if it is everything to be done correctly. For example, the “second scanner in the truck.” It is of no help if the mandatory second scanner is on board the truck, but the driver wasn’t informed about it.
After three hours of brainwork in the classrooms, the seminar shifted to the hub. Like in an internship, the participants went from station to station and were able to help with the work, for instance by getting the required shipping documents from the drivers or sorting these into the correct pigeonholes. Paper documents? That’s right – despite the high degree of digitalisation, there are still areas where paper printouts are better, especially when ADR/dangerous cargo or customs papers are involved.
After taking a look at an ADR kit, which contains the protective gear needed for quick response in case of an incident involving hazardous materials, the group was able to follow how customs clearance works in real time and how planning a “real” overload spill is carried out.
They were also able to observe the coordinators’ meetings first-hand, first as the central hub coordinator briefed the sub-coordinators, then the discussions between the sub-coordinators and the handling personnel in the hall.
A big thank-you to the hub facility manager Damian Voß and the entire team of the central hub night shift who held the seminar. And very heartfelt thanks to the seminar participants for their interest and collaboration. The next hub seminar will be held on 10 October.
