WEST COAST PORT COALITION TO POLL SHIPPERS ON NIGHTTIME GATE HOURS

WEST COAST PORT COALITION TO POLL SHIPPERS ON NIGHTTIME GATE HOURS    The West Coast Port Coalition, an industry-based task force, said Wednesday it will survey Los Angeles' and Long Beach's leading shippers as to their interest in extended terminal hours.
   “We are developing a list of top shippers in the LA-Long Beach area and hope to have a survey in their hands by the end of September,” said Robin Lanier, executive director of the coalition, comprising shippers, ocean carriers, ocean transportation intermediaries, terminal operators, labor and ports.
   At the Wednesday meeting — the second for the coalition — drayage companies and motor carriers voiced support for the nighttime gate hours, and offered suggestions on how the extended gate hours might be structured.
   Joel Anderson, chief executive officer of the California Trucking Association, said drayage companies realize the advantage of more driver turns, higher revenues for drivers and reduced congestion that off-peak gate hours would bring.
   Truckers suggested that “hoot gates,” especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, should be an initial priority, followed by Sunday day gates and night gates on Mondays and Tuesdays.
   “Now that we know that truckers are willing to work off-hours, we need to determine which cargo principals are ready now to make a commitment to off-hour gates. That will be critical in driving the economics of this for the terminals,” Lanier said.
   The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents West Coast stevedores, carriers and terminal operators, noted it conducted an informal study which found there would be significant costs to shifting about 30 percent of the LA-Long Beach cargo to nighttime hours.
   The coalition plans to meet again in November to review the results of the shipper survey.