Warning for motorists: a convoy of trucks carrying Christmas cargo heads to Auckland

Motorists be warned: The suffocation of State Highway 1 between Whangārei and Auckland has begun as trucks haul Christmas cargo south.

The first of around 800 trucks carrying 1,200 containers of cargo from Northport has started the journey to Auckland. Up to a dozen trucks leave every hour, from 6 a.m. to midnight for the next week.

The cargo is from the vessel Constantinos P, which was diverted to Northport due to unloading delays in Auckland.

Up to 11 container ships were anchored in the Hauraki Gulf waiting to be processed in Auckland ports last weekend.

The diversion from Constantinos P to Marsden Pt was seen as an opportunity for Northport to show off its ship unloading material after adding a second crane earlier this year.

It docked on Sunday and trucks were expected to start moving the containers to Auckland yesterday morning.

Northport spokesman Peter Heath said the delay was due to 1,170 containers destined for Auckland being stacked for unloading there.

The different configuration at Northport required an additional 300 container movements to remove the Auckland bound containers from the ship.

“For us it has been a massive learning exercise and we said from the beginning that it would be. Hats off and thank you very much to everyone involved for your support.”

Traffic will not be all one way: Empty trucks will return to Northport to pick up a new load.

Various works are underway on state highway 1 that could slow traffic in both directions.

National Road Carriers CEO David Aitken told RNZ that it could take more than seven days for all freight to transport.

“We estimate, in the best of cases, [truck drivers are] I will be doing two trips [each day] that’s if all goes well, “Aitken said.

“It is a challenging journey, it is not the best road compared to what they are used to … the average journey of containers from Auckland ports is about 30 km, now they are going to do 140-150 km round trip a challenging trail that has few black spots.

“I heard from the NZTA that they have at least two resealing jobs in progress. This will increase the time it takes to get the container back to Auckland, limiting the number of trips.”

Vehicle compliance officers from Waka Kotahi, Worksafe, and officers from the police commercial vehicle safety team would be en route.

Sergeant Major Mike Flatt said officers would check the number of hours truck drivers spend behind the wheel.

“We know truck drivers can work long hours and we want to make sure all cargo is transported safely. Our officers will focus on ensuring that truck drivers traveling between Northland and Auckland are not fatigued and adhere to their limits. hours of driving, while verifying that the trucks are in driving condition. “

Waka Kotahi NZ Transportation Agency Regional Director Steve Mutton said motorists should plan more time for their trips.

“We expect the roads to be congested before Christmas and there are only a few lane opportunities to pass on the route. We ask motorists to be patient and give trucks room on the road for the safety of all road users. road.

“There may be delays on SH1 next week, and all drivers should factor that into their plans. Trying to ‘make up for lost time’ by accelerating and overtaking unsafe puts everyone who uses the road at risk.”

Mutton said highway workers would also be busy south of Whangarei to complete as much of the highway resurfacing program as possible before the holiday period.