Just in! The Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach announces: Double the truck charges for daytime pickups at the port!
In an effort to increase truckers' use of the port's nighttime hours, terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have announced a temporary doubling of the fees charged to haul trucks during the day.
PierPass, a nonprofit company created by 12 terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, said in an announcement Wednesday that it will increase its Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) to incentivize moving containers during off-peak hours, according to the announcement.
The announcement said this adjustment to the TMF was made at the request of the Biden Administration Supply Chain Disruption Task Force Port Envoy and the Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
#TMF Tariff Increase
When: December 1 through January 31 of next year.
Application: containers shipped between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Fee details: $78.23/TEU for TEUs (previously $34.21/TEU); $156.46/TEU for all other container sizes (previously $68.42/TEU).
PierPass said that from Dec. 1 through Jan. 31 next year, it will charge a TMF of $78.23/TEU for containers shipped between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and an increase to $156.46 for all other container sizes. The plan is subject to FMC approval.
Just in! The Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach announced that truck charges will double for daytime arrivals and pickups!
Since 2018, PierPass has been charging TMF for all import and export loading containers through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and not for empty containers.
The last TMF charge was issued in August of this year and covered containers shipped during the day and night at $34.21/TEU for TEUs and $68.42 for all other container sizes.
The new TMFs will not be assessed based on container movement at night during the two-month period from Dec. 1 to Jan. 31 next year. The fees are indexed to inflation and are used to offset labor costs and other costs of providing nighttime gate openings at marine terminals.
"This action is designed to increase the use of extended port opening hours by warehouses, distribution centers and trucks to facilitate the flow of holiday merchandise in December and the January before the Lunar New Year." PierPass said in its announcement of the toll increase.
Feedback from truckers in the region of two-thirds of the country do not see port efficiency gains at night
Just now! The Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach announced: double trucking fees for daytime pickups at the port!
Port Trucking Association CEO Matt Schrap said the shift to 24-hour operations does not address the underlying issues that limit truckers from picking up containers quickly and eliminating port congestion.
Schrap said, "Give two weeks' notice to apply increased charges to daytime operations. Unless they address appointment availability and empty container return restrictions, they won't see great productivity at night."
Matt Schrap said drivers report fewer crane operators on the terminals at night than during the day, resulting in longer wait times for them to retrieve imports, and that drivers are not seeing more efficient turnaround times at night.
Schrap also said marine terminals need to do more to improve the efficiency of truck pickups. Until then, drivers may be reluctant to pick up containers at night because of federal hours-of-service rules on driving hours, which typically limit drivers to night or day shifts.
