The ports of San Pedro Bay have published new measures to improve freight movement and reduce delays in an effort to meet the record volumes, after consultation with supply chain stakeholders and the United States (US) Department of Transportation.
In particular, as the unprecedented traffic continues, both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will enhance their landside operations by extending the hours during which trucks can pick up and return containers. “Long Beach will take the first step towards a 24/7 supply chain by maximising nighttime operations,” noted Mario Cordero, Executive Director of the Port of Long Beach (POLB).
Furthermore, Port of Los Angeles (POLA) Executive Director Gene Seroka said that the port will expand weekend operating gate hours. Specifically, the POLA’s program, dubbed “Accelerate Cargo LA,” will operate on a pilot basis to ensure that gate availability meets cargo demands and provides greater transparency to improve efficiency, according to a statement.
In addition, the two major ports in California have called on marine terminal operators to incentivise the use of all available gate hours, especially night gates, to reduce congestion and maximise cargo throughput capacity.
Moreover, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will 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 San Pedro Bay ports are the two largest container ports in the United States, handling approximately 40% of all containerised cargo entering the country each year and about 30% of all containerised exports.
