Truck congestion — and the resulting frustration, delays and expense — unfortunately is on the rise at major US ports. This week, as reported in California Apparel News, the Federal Maritime Commission hosted a forum with importers, truckers, brokers, freight forwarders, 3PLs and government officials at the Port of Los Angeles to discuss the root causes of this congestion and offer suggestions for improvement.
Identified causes:
- Increased capacity of cargo ships — up to nearly triple — and resultant unlading time
- Growth of global trade and container volume
- Shortage of chassis at ports
Potential solutions:
- Impose penalty fees on terminals that violate 90-minute turn times for cargo pick-up
- Using an online appointment system for truckers to schedule pick-ups
- Establishing a gray chassis fleet at ports for general use
- Creating a “free-flow” system when unlading, facilitating access by truckers to specific, requested containers
The full article can be found here.