PierPass to further help Port of LA/Long Beach with trucking delays

A new initiative to reduce the number of transaction problems experienced when trucks pick up or deliver containers at the marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach was introduced today.

At a press conference held this morning, PierPass Inc. noted that these problems – exceptions from normal processes that result in the issuance of “trouble tickets” – lead to substantial delays in container movement through the terminals.

“At a port the size and scale of LA/Long Beach, this can be a major problem,” said Bruce Wargo, president of PierPass. “There is a lot of collateral damage caused to other truckers, warehouse employees, and beneficial cargo owners.”

While trouble tickets are caused by a range of issues, they usually are tied to inaccurate or incomplete information about an import container delivery or an export booking problem. When issued a trouble ticket, the driver typically has to go to a “trouble window” or office to get the issue resolved. This results in delays for customers and truckers and higher costs for terminal operators.

“Trucking companies can avoid most trouble tickets and reduce turn times by checking with the terminals’ web-based systems before coming to the terminal gates,” said Wargo. “These systems let dispatchers confirm the availability of import containers or the validity of export booking numbers before prematurely sending a truck to the terminal.”

PierPass is distributing a fact sheet to trucking companies with tips on trouble-ticket prevention. Wargo said in an interview that most truckers now either have computers or access to tracking stations near the terminals to keep informed on sudden or unexpected changes.