We recently had the chance to catch up with Don Synder, Director of Trade Relations for the Port of Long Beach. We asked Don 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: Part of the Port of Long Beach’s mission is to facilitate cooperative efforts that result in efficient operations and improved turn-time. Our hope is that the survey will provide factual results with actionable data to help educate the industry on turn times.
Q: What is the goal of the turn time study?
A: For the Port of Long Beach, the goal of the turn time study is to gain an understanding of the challenges that pose a barrier to improving truck turn times through our terminals.
Q: Why is the study important for the community?
A: Better turn times result in better service to our customers, better compensation for truck drivers, and lower air emissions for our neighbors. Combining efforts to learn more about terminal operations and tracking and reporting turn times will help us provide efficient operations at the ports to better the industry as a whole.
Q: What do you expect will be the results of the study?
A: The Port of Long Beach hopes that the study provides empirical information instead of anecdotal information to identify ways to improve turn times at the ports. We look forward to communicating factual information to the industry on turn times.
Q: What do you plan to do in response to the data and analysis you receive from the study?
A: The Port of Long Beach plans to use the study data to facilitate cooperative efforts between all industry stakeholders that will result in efficient operations and improved turn-times at our Port terminals.