Governor of California, Gavin Newsom and US Port Envoy, John D. Porcari have visited the Port of Long Beach (POLB) to highlight state and federal measures that need to be implemented in order to alleviate the current supply chain backlog.
Additionally, the two politicians visited the port on 17 November to plan future needs and to thank frontline workers for moving record cargo volumes.
The Governor outlined recent steps taken by the state to help unclog the supply chain, such as higher weight limits on trucked cargo and expanding hours for commercial truck driver license examinations. Newsom also claimed that the recently signed federal infrastructure bill will bring needed improvements throughout the state’s transportation system.
“Major changes in consumer habits driven by a global pandemic have led to an all-time record high container volumes moving through Los Angeles and Long Beach ports and thanks to the collective work of California and our partners, we have seen a 32% drop in containers sitting on the docks,” said Governor Newsom, who pointed out that “California has taken swift action across the board to address congestion and increase our capacity to move goods quickly.”
Indeed, since the San Bay Pedro Ports have committed to the container dwell fee for ocean carriers that will begin on 22 November to clear out the longest-staying containers, the twin ports have seen a decline of nearly 30% combined in old cargo on the docks.
Additionally, Porcari noted that the US$17 billion allocated for ports and waterways in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in addition to the President’s Port Action Plan, will go a long way towards ensuring goods flow through the Californian ports efficiently.
“This is an all-hands moment for the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,” said Long Beach Mayor, Robert Garcia. “With the support of the Biden and Newsom administrations, we are working as one to address the shipping backlog by assisting our supply chain partners wherever we can.”
