Truck Plan at Los Angeles/Long Beach Runs Aground

September 19, 2008

Today was the deadline for enrollment into the truck plan imposed by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The truckers and terminal operators have stated there was not enough time to get ready to meet this deadline,

This is from the American Shipper article of Sept. 8.

This is a very complex program with many moving parts,” wrote WCMTOA secretary Bruce Wargo. “It requires 13 different terminal access control systems to be modified to accept and electronically understand the ports’ Drayage Truck Registry information.”
Under the ports’ truck plan, drayage providers wishing to continue providing service to terminals at the ports’ must have their trucks entered into the DTR. However, the DTR only went live two weeks ago and the DTR entry Web site continues to have technical problems.
According to Wargo, the ports’ DTR contained no approved trucks as of Sept. 3 and the DTR was not in a “position to communicate to the (terminal operators) that information.”
Wargo, who is also chief executive officer of the non-profit PierPass after-hours gate operation at the two ports, said that extensive modification to the terminals’ operations systems are still required before the truck plan can begin and other items such as “terminal and carrier Web pages, phone trees and carrier and terminal customer service representatives,” still need to be updated.
The DTR also “will require extensive Internet modifications to PierPass, its vendors systems, equipment acquisition, report design and testing,” he said.

The incentive program offers $20,000.00 for each new truck a company puts into service from Oct 2008 until Oct 2009, provided the truck is privately funded (don't ask me what that means), AND the company must commit that truck will make an average of 6 trips per week for 5 years.

Well, first of all, I don't think you can buy a new truck for $20,000.00. Plus, now with credit crunch, the price of diesel, and wages for drivers will be going up.

Don't forget, Homeland Security wants all the truck drivers to be legal and with a good driving record. Oh, and probably not a criminal record either. I think the deadline for all that has been delayed. I'll go check on that now.