West Coast ports are perfectly capable of accommodating even greater cargo surges from big ships in the years ahead, but to do so they may have to turn to more exotic measures.
Those include broader use of trucker appointment systems, reduction or elimination of free time for cargo storage and greater reliance on intermodal rail, the president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association said last weekend.
John McLaurin told WESCCON, the western cargo conference of freight forwarders and customs brokers, that the ports are already on the right track in handling more cargo in a shorter period of time with reduced diesel emissions. He cited the grey chassis fleet in Southern California, free-flowing containers from marine terminals to off-dock yards and extended gate operations as good initial measures.