Shippers and the wider supply chain need to be concerned about the resurgence of major US west coast port congestion next year, rather than writing it off as an historical anomaly.
Mounting demand
The warning came from TradeTech president Bryn Heimbeck, who said it was “clear” the ports were not prepared to handle the mounting demand.
“One does not have to be omniscient, one just has to know there is a level that ports can handle, and that we are steadily surpassing that,” he told The Loadstar.
He said there appeared to be a tendency to perceive congestion as “something we lived through”, rather than an event brought about by structural limitations.
“On exports, the terminal knows exactly when a box is going to depart, it is all organised and modelled clearly,But on the import side they never know when boxes will be collected, so they’re stacked five high” he explained.
Unique situation
Others share Mr Heimbeck’s concerns. One source told The Loadstar it was not only getting the boxes out of stacks that caused hold-ups, there was a unique situation for truckers in the US of having to collect a chassis before they pick up boxes.
Pointing to TradeTech’s own tools, he noted that they could allow for “Customs to be cleared in transit, on the way to the port, which speeds up banking and gets carrier release. After this, importers can get appointments before arrival allowing terminals to plan their stacks”.
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Source : Loadstar
