CCS-UK has released a new version of its Advance Information System (AIS) module that enables freight forwarders and their transport providers to pre-book timed vehicle slots at on-airport (or any other) handling facilities.

The new Slot Booking function can be run alongside the handler’s existing un-booked arrivals, allowing on-airport transit sheds to offer pre-booking and priority handling to selected agents and transport companies. The system caters for export deliveries and import collections, or a mix of both on the same vehicle, and applies to loose or palletised cargo.

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Once a slot has been booked, the booking party is prompted to submit an electronic manifest of the cargo being delivered or collected, ahead of the vehicle’s actual arrival.

Handlers can set up slots in advance, with different schedules for each of their sheds if required. The transport providers can then book the slots, and the handlers can view who has booked each slot. Reports can also be generated to show data such as punctuality and no-shows, enabling handlers to determine whether priority booking privileges should be withdrawn in the case of habitual non-compliance with bookings.

The upgraded AIS module with Slot Booking functionality is being made available free to all CCS-UK users. CCS-UK has put the latest version of AIS into production, is currently talking to several TSOs about trialling the system, and expects to make various enhancements as a result of feedback from users.

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Says CCS-UK User Group Programme Director Guy Thompson: “AIS Slot Booking will speed the process of delivering or collecting cargo at participating transit sheds and provide total transparency of actual waiting and processing times to all parties.

“It should also enable handlers to work towards a more organised flow of vehicles, and to steer traffic into periods when they are less busy, so smoothing workloads and making more efficient use of their resources.

“With sufficient take-up by shed operators and visitors, AIS Slot Booking could help to prevent the kind of widespread congestion often seen at busier cargo areas such as Heathrow during peak periods.”