Ports: Service revolution on the docks

The coverage of North American port operations and how they tie into the broader freight logistics network is one of the areas where Logistics Management’s coverage has excelled over the past 15 years. In that time, we’ve seen quite an evolution of services, from images of rusty, hulking cranes and containers lumbering through crowded yards to much more streamline processes driving the exponential growth of global commerce.

“We’re now seeing advancements in technology and even robotics that have become key differentiators across North American ports,” says Patrick Burnson, our executive editor who has been covering this sector of the market for more than 25 years. As Burnson recently reported, shippers will be seeing more ports building online portals to help better manage transactions—anything from tracking containers to booking space—that will be tied into common platforms that offer a single window for individualized cargo updates.

“Ports are developing and investing in systems that can expedite fright-handling fees, check schedules, and even make appointments to make pick ups.”

This year we congratulate 10 recipients of Quest for Quality gold in the Ports category—operations that our readers said are on the cutting edge of service excellence.

Leading the way in the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic region is Port of Virginia, posting a category high 49.99 overall weighted average. Virginia led the way in the East region in Ease of Doing Business (11.75), Ocean Carriers Network (9.02) and Equipment & Operations (9.51). The Port of Wilmington, N.C., posted high marks in Value (10.87) and Intermodal Network (9.46).

In the South region, Port of Savannah posted a 48.04 overall weighted average, pulling in just slightly ahead of Port of Miami with a 47.49. In the Gulf, Port of Houston was the only port to score above the average, posting a 44.67. In the Great Lakes it was a similar story with Port of Montreal posting a 46.48 weighted average, the only port in the region to score above the 43.17 average.

Out West, four ports took home gold. Port of Portland scored a 49.51 overall weighted average, the second highest mark posted in the category this year. The Northwest Seaport Alliance put up a 46.30 overall weighted average, with the Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles rounding out the winners in the region with a 44.75 and 44.24 respectively.