Port of Oakland marine terminals are up and running after trucker protests end

Following several days of independent truck driver-led protesting and disruption, which halted operations at the Port of Oakland, port officials said yesterday that its marine terminals have reopened.

The protests were in response to the United States Supreme Court’s having denied review—or Certiorari—of the Circuit’s reversal against the injunction of AB5 (Assembly Bill 5) in California, a law governing owner-operators that potentially could be very disruptive to trucking operations in the nation’s most populous state.

As previously reported by LM, truck drivers are divided on AB5, which limits when workers can be contractors instead of employees. Some local port drayage operators supported the measure which would have limited owner-operators in that sector.

Port of Oakland officials said last week that these protests “have effectively shut down operations at shipping terminals,” adding that the shutdown would further exacerbate the congestion of containers dwelling at the Oakland Seaport as port officials urged terminal operations to resume.

“The Port of Oakland has resumed full operations,” said Port Executive Director Danny Wan in a statement. “We appreciate the independent truck drivers' use of the designated Free Speech Zones and we thank local law enforcement for their continued assistance. The truckers have been heard and we now urge them to voice their grievances with lawmakers, not the Port of Oakland.” City of Oakland, regional and state law enforcement are continuing to monitor and implement measures to keep traffic flowing.

Port officials added that these protests prevented the timely flow of international commerce, including medical supplies, agricultural products, auto and technology parts, livestock, and manufacturing parts.

A Wall Street Journal report indicated that it could take several weeks before port operations get back to normal.

Bill Aboudi, president of trucking company Oakland Port Services Corp., told the WSJ he tried to make appointments to pick up containers early Monday but the earliest slot available was Tuesday night.

“It’s just everybody trying to cram a week’s worth of work into one day, just doesn’t work,” Aboudi said. “Nothing will be normal for another few weeks.”

As previously reported by LM, in an open letter to Port of Oakland trucking partners sent last week, the Port of Oakland’s Wan said he met with some representatives of the truckers protesting at the port, listening to their concerns and expressed objectives. And he added that they also discussed the impact of the protests on port jobs and operations, as well as a path forward to returning to full operations at the port.

“It is important to return the Port to full operations now!” wrote Wan. “Prolonged stoppage of port operations at Oakland for any reason interferes with commerce, increases congestion, and harms business for everyone. Disruptions in truck movements and moving cargo drive customers away and prompt them to consider taking their business to ports outside California. We do not want to see the loss of business and jobs here. The Port of Oakland is a major economic engine for Northern California, and we want to keep our jobs here.”

As for its commitment to work with the port’s independent trucking partners, Wan said the port is focused on various initiatives, including:

• continuing to be a liaison between the port’s trucking community and the state, with the Governor’s office indicating it is committed to supporting its truck drivers and ensuring they receive the protections and compensation they are entitled to, with the state continuing to partner with truckers and the ports to ensure the continued movement of goods to California’s residents and businesses;
• working with relevant state agencies to make sure truckers can access all resources offered by the state related to AB5 and other programs; and
• establish a working group comprised of port and independent trucker representatives serving the port to provide a mechanism for reviewing concerns regarding AB5 implementation, addressing trucker amenities and services at the Port of Oakland, and discussing upcoming state clean truck rules and implementation