<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=393225&amp;fmt=gif">
Port_of_LA_Pier 300_400 Container Terminals

West Coast and California Logistics Blog

Container Drayage – Time is Money

Wed, Apr 02, 2014 @ 08:46 AM / by Weber Logistics

Turn times at Southern California ports.  Does it ever seem like the time to retrieve your container is as long as the ocean transit time? 

Some claim that it can take hours to turn containers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But according to Bruce Wargo, President of Pier Pass, in-terminal turn times averaged less than an hour in January 2014.  There are other components, however, that add time and expense to the overall dray from port to the distribution facility. 

  • Booking the pick up and delivery with your drayage services partner
  • Time spent in the port – in-gate to out-gate
  • Queue time to collect a bare chassis
  • Additional time in line to get the container
  • Inspection
  • Time to deliver to the distribution facility, unload and return the empty container and chassis to the port. (Traffic congestion to the Inland Empire doesn’t help either.)

So how can you save time and money? You might find it helpful to read our Insight Paper:  Logistics Guide for Importers  – A Primer On What To Do AFTER Your Goods Have Cleared Customs.

Here are some tips you should consider now:

  • Use a drayage company with competitive rates. This will keep your profit margins from taking a hit. 
  • Plan for capacity needs.  Depending on your container volume, you’ll want a drayage services partner with ‘flex capacity’ to accommodate all available containers.  Last minute, emergency requests can spike the price. 
  • Quickly move containers to off-terminal locations.  Work with a drayage partner that can pre-pull full loads to nearby container yards for delivery to your customers.
  • Minimize demurrage and detention charges.  Make sure the company managing your drayage services proactively manages on-dock and off-dock time limits.
  • Get the documentation right.  Extra-long turn times of 2 to 6 hours are often the result of truckers arriving at the terminals with inaccurate documentation, or freight forwarders filing documents with too many mistakes.  Flag those lengthy visits and study each one individually to determine why it happened and what can be done to prevent future problems.
  • Employ a drayage company that can arrange collection at non-peak hours (5pm to 8am). Savings of $133.00 per forty foot container can occur as that is the “traffic mitigation fee” charged for moves during peak volume periods.  But beware, containers collected at night are potentially subject to late unloading fees at the warehouse and/or a stop off at an independent container yard to be delivered during regular business hours.
Solutions to reduce container transportation costs can be provided by a Southern California drayage company that has years of experience at the port, a plentiful fleet of trucks and a solid reputation.

Weber Logistics has been providing drayage services in Southern California for decades.  Weber can handle any volume levels with a strategic logistical plan that gets your containers off port and products to market quickly at the lowest expense possible.

Download the Weber Logistics Insight:

logistics southern california ports

Topics: Southern California Ports, Logistics Systems, Drayage

Written by Weber Logistics

Subscribe to Instant Updates

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

see all