The second working group meeting took place this past Monday. The conversation was lively, thoughtful and productive.
I’ve asked Joshua Owen, president of Ability-TriModal, a trucking, warehousing and distribution company, to co-chair the working group with me. Ability-TriModal has served Southern California for more than six decades, and Joshua brings deep knowledge and experience in the industry.
Through our discussions, we’ve realized there are a number of differences and similarities among the stakeholders. Most crucial to reducing truck congestion is the fact that we each define the issue differently and we each have different tracking and reporting methods (click here to see how PierPASS reports transaction data). So we created a sub-committee to address terminology across all stakeholders and to look at the possibility of combining data from GPS and RFID technologies to enhance reporting on trucker wait times outside of the terminal gates.
But there are several things we all agree on. No. 1 on the list is our commitment to improving efficiency. Each member of the working group has expressed their continued support to ensuring cargo flows efficiently through the ports. The MTOs recently announced they are adding back a fifth OffPeak gate at 11 of 13 marine terminal gates and the reinstatement of the noon hour relief and early start of night shifts.
I am encouraged by the support offered by each of the stakeholders and am confidant that together we will keep Southern California moving. Stay tuned for more working group updates.