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Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach expand hours to speed cargo throughput, first step toward 24/7 operations

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have expanded the hours during which trucks can pick up and return containers as part of their efforts to improve freight movement and reduce delays through the ports as they continue to experience record volumes.

The Port of Long Beach will maximise nighttime operations in what the port’s executive director Mario Cordero referred to as a first step toward a 24/7 supply chain. Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka announced that the Port of Los Angeles will expand weekend operating gate hours on a pilot basis to ensure that gate availability meets cargo demands. Both ports have called on marine terminal operators to incentivise the use of all available gate hours, especially night gates, to reduce congestion and maximize cargo throughput capacity.

The ports plan to work closely with the trucking community to ensure that all truck operators understand how to take advantage of incentivised gate hours as well as the expanded opportunities that will be created to move cargo during non-peak times.

The two San Pedro Bay ports are working closely with the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to alleviate bottlenecks and speed up the movement of goods to consumers, while also expanding opportunities for US exporters.

Kim Biggar

Kim Biggar started writing in the supply chain sector in 2000, when she joined the Canadian Association of Supply Chain & Logistics Management. In 2004/2005, she was project manager for the Government of Canada-funded Canadian Logistics Skills Committee, which led to her 13-year role as communications manager of the Canadian Supply Chain Sector Council. A longtime freelance writer, Kim has contributed to publications including The Forwarder, 3PL Americas, The Shipper Advocate and Supply Chain Canada.

Comments

  1. Hi. Thank you for the good news. Currently port driver and things are so bad at LA ports as cranes break down very often and sloppy workers etc . They have big egos and attitudes since they are union workers. They don’t realize the drivers and tax payers are paying their over paid salaries. At times I have been stuck there for 5-6 hrs ? Just to get one container.. Their breaks are longer than normal. Basically they abuse the power .equipment are dirty , no bathrooms located various locations. Female drivers sometimes go through rough times using bathrooms when you stuck for many hours. I can write a book about the sloppy operations and it’s worse than third world ports !!
    Thank you.

    1. If all u truck drivers would follow the directions n do wat the employees asked to do everything would go smoothly 🙄 u all know where allthe bathrooms are but most of u go between cans you try doing our jobs !!!!

      1. All is an erroneous word. And even if drivers piss between cans there is no reason a break should be two hours. Do your job worry about you and we will do ours

      2. Sorry bud, you guys can’t even follow your own directions. Bunch of lazy people, ignorant and BS up in your head.

        Start by taking lunch from 12 to 1pm. Not from 11:30 to 1:30. Get 1 clerk direct the crane and if needed confirm container number. Looks like the guy who directs, doesn’t know how to read 🤷🏻‍♂️. Anyway, just get to work and work.

        PS No need for us to do your job or want your job, but when renewing your contract, there you guys go crying to us for support 😂

        1. When I first started truck delivery, they did have 1 clerk per crane but the companies have decided to use the computers and they are often inaccurate. So I must call a Marine clerk for help, this is out of the crane drivers control.

          I can understand how you see it different but I have more to do than just stop working, by the time I am ready to go to my car it is 12. Same with coming back, I come in at 1 and it takes some time for the boss meeting and get the equipment to get the crane ready to work.

  2. Might be open 24/7 but in Seattle these guys sit around drinking beer and reading the newspaper making the line of trucks sit for 4-7 hours stop playing. Day after day I hear the news blame trucker shortages when in reality it’s the union longshoremen not doing there jobs.

  3. They don’t work or chassis shortage. As and owner op the terminal here in the west co. are no good and its unions fault for not training their people to run newer equipment. So now they are getting run out by A.I. bots but its their own fault for not training the works and instead they fill their pockets with that good old american dollar. No one to blame but longshore man lazy habits.

  4. If the truckers would obey all instructions on their interchange ticket and do not cut throat each-other and just follow the line.

    As for the equipment being damaged?? Well maybe you should put a lawsuit against the terminal, they supply the equipment, not the union.

    I see truckers taking naps after they’ve gotten their loads loaded onto them. May I should start sending the proof to the companies. 😊😊

  5. It’s a total lie they do not work down there they are always mean to the drivers they always give us the most ugliest attitude they need to teach the union workers how to be treating us at least like humans we need to come together to put an end To this injustice Only two terminals have porter potty’s available for drivers all the other ones we have to do what we can specially when they have us waiting 7+ hours for one load and this truly happened to me at Evergreen my dispatcher finally just told me to cancel and come back now all that it’s just money wasted We do need to publish a book so people could actually see sexual tees and injustice of the Longshoremans towards the truck drivers a lot of them even act like they don’t want to work . I think to my self why are you here if your not even working. . Getting loads out is very difficult out of all terminals . The other day harbor patrol was sending truckers around the freeway again to go inside tti just because Ilwu don’t like to work fast .
    They always blame it on the computer system but honestly we are talking about million if not billion dollar companies you honestly expect us to believe you don’t have a IT Deparment.

    1. You are actually correct!! TTI does have an IT program. They make it seem it’s the Union. But you and I know that companies are not your friend. You are just a number, the machines delivering your loads are about 20 yrs old or Older. TTI doesn’t care about the truckers. They just want to devide and conquer. Maybe you should consider working for the grocery chain. Better benefits

    2. Come to my crane, I get all my truckers delivered and have time left over to organize the piles. I have no control of harbor patrol, your gate times or locating a chassis but once you are in my row, you are getting your can, with few exceptions.

  6. This is a result of off shoring our manufacturing jobs . Retailers selling you foreign made goods . The volume is so large they can’t get it onshore . And people are blaming everyone for this debacle except the retailer and companies craming foriegn made goods down Americans throats . We should be back logged sending products overseas . Not importing .

    1. That’s what happens when you have seasoned law makers in office and they make money for it. They should all have term limits like the President. If they haven’t done anything in the first 4 yrs. what makes you think they will the next.

  7. As long as there’s a chassis shortage, it won’t matter. I used to avg 7 loads m-f now 3 loads a wk cause I cancel if there’s no chassis which is 90% of the time. Port companies need to buy more chassis or it won’t matter. As far as the union taking long breaks, mistreating drivers, etc, that’s not gona change.

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