Marine terminal operators in Los Angeles and Long Beach are closely watching turn times and congestion levels to evaluate any impact from the recent OffPeak schedule change. As of yet, we haven’t detected any unusual congestion as a result of the suspension.

Despite the suspension of the fifth shift, PierPASS continues to offer 55 OffPeak gates across 13 terminals, in addition to the 65 daytime gates, for a total of 120 gates per week for cargo pickup and delivery. Prior to the establishment of PierPASS in 2005, there were virtually no extra gates offered at the Ports beyond the regular daytime gates.

We believe that 55 extra gates a week is more than enough to handle current volumes and want to stress that there is still unused capacity during many times of the day and night shifts. The decision to suspend one OffPeak shift was made in light of the traditional seasonal decline in volume,  knowing that there is plenty of unused capacity during both Peak and OffPeak shifts that could absorb a reduction in gates without affecting turn times or congestion, and that the fifth gate would be added back when cargo volumes warrant.

For perspective, let us compare the PierPASS schedule to that of other ports in the United States. The Ports of Seattle, New York, New Jersey, and Miami all offer similar Monday-Friday schedules of approximately 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., including breaks (exact hours differ), with no extra night or weekend gates like those provided by PierPASS in LA and Long Beach. These ports only offer services outside of regular hours with “special agreements” with the Port Authorities. The San Pedro Ports provide 120 shifts – of which 55 are extra gates – for cargo pickup and delivery each week. No other port in the country provides this capacity.

Terminal operators are taking steps to adapt to market conditions during the traditionally slow period of January to April.  We will continue to closely monitor the volumes and adjust the OffPeak schedule as appropriate to ensure the viability of the OffPeak program and will look to reinstate the fifth extra gate when warranted. Please continue to visit the PierPASS website for the latest updates.

We want to address recent concerns following the announcement that four additional marine terminal operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will suspend one PierPASS OffPeak shift per week. These suspensions are part of the  process for marine terminal operators to continually adapt the number of OffPeak shifts to match fluctuations in cargo volume. The suspensions are a result of the traditional seasonal decline and should not cause further delays at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The MTOs will continue to address issues of congestion and closely monitor cargo volumes with the intention of returning to a fifth PierPASS OffPeak shift when cargo volumes warrant an additional shift. Please stay tuned to pierpass.org for additional updates.

Check out PierPASS’s updated live camera feeds showing different marine terminal gates at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The page has been updated with camer feeds for STS and GGS. Click on any of the images to see a larger view. Click refresh on the page to get updated live images from the terminal gates.

We continue to update the page with additional camera views from all terminals to help LMCs monitor congestion levels at the terminal gates.

We recently had the chance to catch up with Michael DiBernardo, Director of Business Development for the Port of Los Angeles.  We asked Michael about the Port’s participation in the upcoming  Turn Time Study, commissioned by The Truck Turn Time Stakeholder Group and conducted by Dr. Val Noronha of Digital Geographic Research Corporation to provide metrics for tracking and monitoring truck turn times.

Q: Why did you decide to contribute to funding for the turn time study?

A: We felt it was necessary to capture data that will provide facts on how long truck drivers are queuing outside terminal gates. The terminals have the data once a truck driver enters the facility, but we have no means of measuring the queue time from a certain point outside the terminal. We felt the turn time study would help provide that data.    

Q: What is the goal of the turn time study?

A: For the Port of Los Angeles, the goal of the study is to receive factual data of truck queue times in order to accurately identify problems of congestion and/or bottlenecks at the port.

Q: Why is the study important for the community?

A: The turn time study is important to the trucking and cargo owner communities because it ensures that factual information about turn times is available. Currently, mainly anecdotal information is being communicated to cargo owners and the media.

Q: What solutions to truck congestion would be beneficial for the ports?

A: The Port of Los Angeles believes the following solutions will be beneficial for the ports:

• Spreading out truck traffic to avoid peak congestion at 5pm
• Implementing port-wide appointments that offer flexibility
• Offering flex work gate schedules and five off-peak gates, which is already being done at most terminals
• Ensuring trucking companies’ drivers continue to work after 11pm in order to maximize the off-peak gates

Q: What is the biggest misconception about turn times at the ports?

A: One of the biggest misconceptions is to assume that because one trucking company reports they experienced two or three hour turn times, all trucking companies are experiencing those delays. In general, turn times are much shorter than what has been reported by the media and the majority of companies are not experiencing these delays. It is true, however, that at certain hours of the day, turn times may be long due to trucks waiting for evening, or OffPeak, gates to open. Many  trucks show up at the same time to take advantage of the OffPeak gate.

Q: How will the results from the study be used to generate possible solutions to truck congestion at the ports?

A: Following the conclusion of the study, the Truck Turn Time Stakeholder Group will analyze the results and determine the next steps in addressing any issues that may be identified by the study. We will continue to keep the community updated with our findings.

January 2011 Frequent Callers Metrics

The terminal operators and others are working to provide metrics for tracking port operations.

One important metric is the number of container moves trucks make per day. The data collected by PierPASS to run the OffPeak programs lets us see exactly how many moves each truck makes.

For the purposes of this analysis, we wanted to find out how many moves a truck makes if it is working every day. To do so, we looked at “frequent callers,” which the two ports define as trucks making one or more moves per weekday.

The data shows that 66 percent of trucks averaged three or more container moves per day in January 2011, compared to 81 percent in December 2010.

It is important to note that “moves per day” isn’t necessarily the same as “turns per day.” A turn, or round trip, can involve either one container move or two.

The terminal operators have begun reporting in-terminal turn times and are working on ways to track and report queue times outside the terminal gates. Stay tuned for more info soon.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEVB2-7_3nM&hl=en&fs=1]

In 2011 the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are operating at high efficiency. Watch how PierPASS has helped ease congestion in the Ports and continues to stress the importance of bringing the community together to maintain San Pedro as the country’s premier port.

The Truck Turn Time Stakeholder Group (a collaboration among PierPASS, LA/LB port terminal operators, motor carriers, shippers, and port authorities in Southern California) is pleased to announce that Dr. Val Noronha of Digital Geographic Research Corporation has been commissioned to conduct a study to provide metrics for tracking and monitoring truck turn times.

The study is based on METRIS technology, deployed at the ports with the support of the USDOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration and the University of California, Santa Barbara. It will examine GPS tracks from thousands of truck trips to the ports each month. It will measure time outside terminals, time inside terminals, and other aspects of truck fleet performance.

The study is jointly funded by PierPASS, Ability Tri-Modal, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and is expected to be complete in March.

According to Bruce Wargo, President of PierPASS, “This study is an important part of our commitment to working with all stakeholders to identify ways to track and report queue times and offer solutions based on factual information.”

Monthly metrics for frequent callers

The terminal operators understand that turn times are an important issue for the truck community and are committed to working with the community to move cargo efficiently through the ports. Last summer, PierPASS formed a working group of 30 stakeholders representing importers, exporters, motor carriers, ports and marine terminal operators to address issues of congestion, including wait time outside terminal gates.

To be effective, this effort needs to be based on factual information. The terminal operators and others are working to provide metrics for tracking port operations.

One important metric is the number of container moves trucks make per day. The data collected by PierPASS to run the OffPeak programs lets us see exactly how many moves each truck makes.

For the purposes of this analysis, we wanted to find out how many moves a truck makes if it is working every day. To do so, we looked at “frequent callers,” which the two ports define as trucks making one or more moves per weekday.

The data shows that 81 percent of trucks averaged three or more container moves per day in December. Nearly half of trucks – 48.4 percent – made four or more moves per day. Twenty-two percent made five or more moves per day, and 2.4 percent averaged seven or more moves per day.

It is important to note that “moves per day” isn’t necessarily the same as “turns per day.” A turn, or round trip, can involve either one container move or two.

The terminal operators have begun reporting in-terminal turn times and are working on ways to track and report queue times outside the terminal gates. Stay tuned for more info soon.

We recently had the chance to catch up with Mark Milburn, General Manager Operations, Total Terminals International (TTI). We asked Mark about TTI’s mandatory appointment system, which they have used for years, as well as other recent measures they have done to handle increased cargo volumes.

Q: What have you done to handle increased traffic?

A: TTI has used flex shifts during meal hours and before the start of the OffPeak gate to process a consistent 100+ empty containers per flex shift into the terminal and to prevent long lines for truckers.  Shift start-ups at TTI have been consistently absent of truckers lined up on the street.

TTI and many of the MTOs hire additional ILWU labor each shift to fill in open positions for all labor categories during the coffee break periods to ensure all yard equipment is available to continually process truckers.  Increasing the labor each shift lowers overall turn times, yard and gate congestion and delays for the trucking community, and ensures delivery schedules to warehouses can be met more consistently.

Q: TTI has used a mandatory appointment system for several years. What benefit does this system provide to customers and TTI?

A: The appointment system assists in reducing gate and yard congestion by controlling the number of truckers arriving each hour at the terminal gate.  This prevents the situation of trucks bunched up in the first three to four hours of a shift and then virtually no traffic in the second half of the shift. 

The appointment system helps us use the full eight-hour shift to service truckers to ensure faster turn times with virtually no congestion.

Q: How does the appointment system handle mandated coffee break period and meal hour breaks?

A: All MTOs have to comply with the existing ILWU labor contract, which includes a mandatory one-hour meal break taken mid-shift and two quarter-hour coffee break periods, one before the meal hour break and one after the meal hour break. 

During the meal hour shift, labor is reduced to comply with the meal break requirement.  During this time, half of the labor takes an early lunch and the other half takes a late lunch.  Although there is less equipment in use, truckers are still serviced in a timely manner and can meet deadlines. We accomplish this by using the appointment system to reduce the volume of trucks scheduled to arrive during the meal break.

Q: What other measures have you implemented to ensure that terminal congestion is not an issue in 2011?

A: TTI continues to tweak and modify the use of the appointment system for all import and export loads. The data collected over the years since we implemented a mandatory export and import appointment system puts TTI in a better position to order an accurate amount of labor to meet the needs for each shift. This translates into lower than normal trucker turn times at the gate and in the yard.

Q: How much would cargo volume have to grow before you would be unable to service the demand within your existing 10 shifts per week?

A: Past historical data shows TTI would be able to sustain a substantial container volume increase in 2011 and still be capable of servicing our customers in a timely manner within the 10 shifts. As in the past, additional equipment and labor would be increased to match the anticipated volume. 

Q: Have you made or are you making any substantial new infrastructure investments that you can talk about? What is the intended benefit of the investment?

A: TTI recently installed radio frequency identification (RFID) readers on the main roadway coming into the terminal’s gate area (Hanjin Road, Pier T).   This provides an accurate measurement of the time a truck takes to get from point “A” to point “B” just before they enter the terminal gate to be serviced (the distance measured on the street before entering the gate area at the terminal is a half mile).  This new tool will provide street dwell time data to enable TTI to accurately monitor the truck volume throughout the 10 working shifts and ensure labor is available during peak traffic times to prevent congestion and idle time outside the terminal gates.

Yesterday, the Port of Los Angeles issued a press release with optimistic news: year-over-year container traffic surged 16% in 2010, led by an all-time record of exports. Exports at the Port of Los Angeles rose 10.3 percent over 2009, while imports rose 12.8 percent. The rebound we witnessed in 2010 is an encouraging sign of recovery. It shows that the Ports of LA and Long Beach are putting people back to work and is good news not only for the goods movement industry and the local economy, but the country as a whole.

A quick look into recent history and record volumes: 2008 was the previous record year for exports at POLA, with 1,782,502 TEUs. This is now surpassed by 2010 with 1,841,274 TEUs, up 3%. On the other hand, imports are still 11% below the record year of 2007, when POLA imports hit 4,410,169 TEUs, compared to 3,973,933 TEUs in 2010. Our hope is that this momentum will continue into 2011, and translate into record volumes for the import business in 2011.

The marine terminal operators in LA/Long Beach are continuing to work with key industry stakeholders to ease the challenges of increased cargo volume, improve the efficiency of cargo movement and help the industry take advantage of unused capacity to minimize congestion.

We’re encouraged by the gains at the ports and look forward to an update from the Port of Long Beach for the last month of 2010. Stay tuned for more updates on cargo volumes.