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PierPASS Progress
877-863-3310 (from inside the United States) 1-973-355-3575 (from outside the United States)
PierPASS Night Shifts Improve as Port Industry Takes Advantage
of OffPeak LONG BEACH, Calif., July 27, 2005 - PierPASS Inc.'s OffPeak program continues to generate efficient use of marine terminal gates during night shifts at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. More than 15,000 containers have entered or exited marine terminals during night shifts since the program began earlier this week, amounting to nearly 28 percent of a typical daily volume of 26,000 containers. PierPASS has set a goal of moving 15 to 20 percent of cargo during the new OffPeak shifts after the first 12 months of operation.
The OffPeak program aims to reduce traffic congestion in and around the ports by shifting cargo movement to nights and weekends, when highways are relatively clear. Under the OffPeak program, marine terminals have established five new shifts per week (Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.). As an incentive to use the new OffPeak shifts, a Traffic Mitigation Fee will be required for most cargo movement during peak hours (Monday through Friday, 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
PierPASS will not begin collecting the fees during daytime peak hours until Friday, July 29 at 3 a.m. PierPASS officials are taking extra care with the computer system that tracks terminal traffic during Peak hours, and will wait an extra day before implementing the Traffic Mitigation Fee. Also, heavier-than-expected cargo volume showed no signs of slowing down, requiring extra care before the fee system goes online.
"We have decided to hold off another day before charging the fee to ensure that the system runs quickly and efficiently," said PierPASS Inc. President and CEO Bruce Wargo. "Even still, we are extremely gratified to see the Ports' users adapting to the OffPeak program and hope to see volume continue to grow during the night shifts."
"We are aware of some customer service issues at individual terminals," said Wargo. "Those are isolated incidents that will improve with time. We still maintain that the overall trend of using the OffPeak program will continue to grow and operations will become more efficient as more teams get used to the new system. Our underlying goal remains the same, to reduce congestion caused by fast-growing cargo volumes. We continue to receive feedback - both positive and negative - and we will continue to respond to questions, concerns, and criticism as soon as possible."
More than 7,000 port users (importers, exporters, trucking companies, and others) have registered with PierPASS. Customers will not be charged for containers moving during peak hours through Thursday, July 28. Collection of the Traffic Mitigation Fee is expected to begin at 3 a.m. on Friday, July 29.
About PierPASS PierPASS is a not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators to reduce congestion and improve air quality in and around the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. Detailed information on PierPASS, the OffPeak program, the Traffic Mitigation Fee (including who must pay it, when it must be paid, payment methods, and credit account information) is available at www.pierpass.org <http://www.pierpass.org>.
Media Contact: Ryan Rauzon (cell: 916-599-2911). |
