The 2020 transpacific peak season has created challenges for many landside logistics providers trying to keep pace with import cargo volumes that test port and inland distribution infrastructure.
Maersk is actively working with the Long Beach, California-based Harbor Trucking Association whose membership of 15,000+ truck drivers performs the important role of harbor trucking from ports to warehouses and distribution centers – essential to supply chain success.
Narin Phol, Maersk North America’s Regional Managing Director said “We are working closely with the HTA and our customers to manage through this peak season efficiently. Every week brings new volumes, new challenges and opportunities so it is essential we collaborate effectively with our HTA partners. We are exploring short-term and long-term solutions with all our key stakeholders to address the situation.”
As the global integrator of container logistics, Maersk is in daily contact with the Harbor Trucking Association and keeps a meeting cadence with Weston LaBar, the President of the Harbor Trucking Association to hear and share feedback on terminal performance such as truck gates, appointment systems, empty returns and ways to optimize the trucker experience of HTA members.
APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles is the largest privately-operated container terminal in the Los Angeles/Long Beach port – and in North America. As such, it plays a pivotal role in the daily flow of cargo with the trucking community. Working daily with Mr. LaBar, the terminal is focused on dual transactions, which enable a trucker to return an empty container and pick up an import container for local delivery. 65% of Pier 400’s gate transactions are dual transactions – and the goal is to increase this, enabling higher productivity trips for harbor truckers. Pier 400 is also offering late night, Friday gates from 6:00 pm – 3:00 am and Saturday gates 8:00 am – 4:00 pm based on customer and trucker needs during peak season.
Maersk operates in the 2M Alliance, considered the simplest and easiest ocean carrier alliance by truckers to work with (since the alliance consists of only two ocean carriers – Maersk and MSC – and only two ports in the LA-Long Beach complex). This ease of use by truckers allows them to efficiently pickup and return containers to two ports located very near each other. Plus, the 2M port in Long Beach, MSC’s TTI, offers truckers one of the best appointment systems in the harbor to support their daily planning and time management – as well as Saturday gates.
Equally important, Maersk’s Regional Head of Transportation, Bill Peratt, based in Los Angeles, sits on the Harbor Trucking Association Productivity committee chaired by Weston LaBar, to lend his voice to finding solutions to the trucking industry’s challenges using his harbor-wide experience and relationships from APM Terminals Pier 400 operations, Maersk Warehousing & Distribution management and truck operations management.
Source: Hellenic Shipping
