Finally night shift in Long Beach
There is hope that the long queues of container vessels in the bays near the biggest US Ports on the West Coast will soon be a thing of the past. The Total Terminals International container terminal on Pier T in the port of Long Beach recently granted trucks access to the facility overnight.
The new pilot programme at the port's largest terminal is designed to widen access and speed deliveries amid the ever-growing cargo surge of the last years. The aim is to reduce dwell times. From 23.00 h - 01.30 h, the terminal will allow access to drivers arriving that time.
Additionally, TTI is opening gates during the third shift, from 03.00 -07.00, Monday to Thursday, for two-way, prearranged truck appointments to both drop off and pick up containers in the same trip. Known as “dual transactions,” the practice pairs transport of a truck-hauled empty container for export with a loaded import container.
“We are in the midst of an historic surge in cargo, and our terminal operators and other supply chain partners are giving their all to keep it all moving,” said Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach's executive director, and continued: “We welcome this pilot project by TTI as a first step towards extending gates to 24/7 operations." (cd)