Commentary: 'time to pull together on VGM'

© Spongecake

The debate on the SOLAS amendment on verified gross mass (VGM) of containers that is due to come into force on 1 July has been particularly corrosive in the US; and one organisation above all others has been at the vanguard of employing language that is as near to incendiary as possible without being deliberately offensive – the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC). However, one of the by-products of using inflammatory language is that it can easily distract from what you are actually trying to say, as this fine comment piece from American Shipper explains: “Cooler heads should prevail when so much collaboration and negotiation is required among stakeholders to figure out the best way to capture and transmit the verified gross mass to carriers and terminals”.