The All Trailer Owners Association and All Taurus Drivers Association plying to and from the Chennai port have planned a strike from April 9, protesting against the implementation of the newly constructed Chennai Port Parking Plaza (CPPP) and its charges.
Chennai Port Authority (ChPA) on March 29 announced the operationalisation of CPPP from April 10 to provide parking and associated facilities to trailer and trucks entering the port. The facilities include restrooms, canteen and dormitory for trailer drivers.
The associations note that with freight rates already low, the CPPP charges is set to impact their margins.
Our members are operating at transport rates fixed by the National Association of Container Freight Stations in 2014 and we have been requesting for rate increase but there is still no signs of it, they said in a letter to the ChPA authorities. “We operate at a very low margin roughly around ₹1,000 per movement. In addition to this you have now introduced the CPPP service and charges payable at ₹550 per service usage will eat our already meagre profit,” they said.
The need for the CPPP was felt to streamline the flow of trailers, ChPA’s notice said. Vehicles were observed to be waiting in front of the container terminals to receive necessary documents from agents or waiting for return cargo and thus obstructing the smooth flow of those trailers that are ready with all the required documents and prepared to enter the terminals, the trade notice said.
Going forward trailers without valid or incomplete documentation; trailers carrying empty containers bound for the two container terminals; and all empty trainers bound for Chennai Container Terminal, will enter the CPPP, the trade notice added.
The associations had in the past allayed fear of the impact on the CPPP charge, but said there was no favourable response till April 4. “Now that you have decided to go ahead in implementing the CPPP service from April 10, 2025, we the All Trailer Owners Associations and All Taurus Drivers Associations have unanimously decided to call for stopping/halting all our transport movements effective 6 am from April 9. We are not in a position to bear any further loss to our already meagre profit,” the associations said.
“The All Trailer Owners Associations and All Taurus Drivers Associations will not be liable for any consequences arising from the trade for no fault of ours,” the letter said.
In response to the strike notice, an official of ChPA said the CPPP was developed at a cost of around ₹45 crores and the managing of the yard involves a contractor who has to deploy manpower and other equipment, and for these, a parking fee is required. The CPPP can accommodate around 600 vehicles.
