By Karen Robes Meeks
PierPass 2.0 – a new version of the extended gate hours program at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – is expected to launch on Nov. 19, according to members of the West Coast MTO Agreement.
Subject to the conclusion of applicable Federal Maritime Commission procedures, PierPass 2.0 improves upon its OffPeak program to ease truck traffic at the nation’s two busiest seaports by moving from the current congestion-pricing model to an appointment-based system that uses a single flat fee on both daytime and nighttime container moves.
Instead of picking up cargo during weekday daytime hours, PierPass 2.0 users can collect their containers at any hour.
The new version isn’t expected to cause too much disruption since nine of the ports’ dozen terminals and the trucking companies that serve them are already using appointment systems. As for the three remaining terminals, SSA Marine intends to put in place its own appointment systems before PierPass 2.0 is implemented.
In order to make the update happen, the terminals have agreed to common appointment windows and common last appointment times for each shift. Terminals may even consider uniform rules and procedures in the program to maximize efficiencies.
Visit www.pierpass-tmf.org/ for more details on PierPass and to register.
