focker

[cluster]

Thanks ILA and State Port Authority for the new improved system

[getting screwed at ports]

UPDATE: Traffic still bad, but better than Tuesday
By Allyson Bird



Trucks were backed up on Remount Road in both directions as far as the eye could see Tuesday, caused by a change in operations at the State Ports Authority's two container terminals.

A line of tractor-trailers continues to form outside of the North Charleston terminal today but congestion is not nearly as bad as Tuesday, South Carolina Port Authoritiy officials said.

In a statement released today, the SPA said there were considerable and "completely unacceptable" delays for truck drivers and motorists Tuesday but improvements in processing trucks onto the terminals has cut down the wait time today, especially outside of the Wando Welch terminal on Long Point Road where lines have been eliminated today.

There were more than 4,900 gate transactions at the North Charleston and Wando Welch terminals on Tuesday, an exceptionally high-volume day because of the holiday on Monday, the statement says.

The authority says it has taken multiple steps to improve the efficiency. As of this morning, the volume of gate transactions nearly doubled at the Wando Welch Terminal and increased from 12 to 75 in the first hour at the North Charleston terminal, the release says.

Truck drivers have done a good job adapting to the new procedures, as have the clerks and mechanics, it says.

The SPA regrets any inconvenience and delays but expects both to decrease in the coming days.

— Andy Paras

IN TODAY'S PAPER: SPA changes bring traffic chaos to North Charleston

Truckers were told to expect delays, but motorists didn't have a clue.

Beginning during Tuesday morning's rush hour and lasting into the afternoon, a change at State Ports Authority terminals coincided with a three-day weekend that already backlogged shipping activity.


'We're trying to put too much through the funnel today. But there are long-term positives, even if it goes on all week,' Pat Barber, owner of local trucking company Superior Transportation, said of Tuesday's traffic chaos.
More containers

The State Ports Authority announced Tuesday a nearly 17 percent increase in container volume during 2010.

December marked the 12th consecutive month of growth year over year for the agency, and Chief Executive Jim Newsome said the SPA remains poised to see continued success in 2011.

For the year, container volume was up almost 17 percent, with the port handling about 793,000 containers, compared with about 679,000 containers during 2009.

Under a shift in operations, new employees manned the terminal gates, bringing with them a corresponding learning curve, according to SPA spokesman Byron Miller.

"That's the message we gave truckers and brokers last week: Expect delays," Miller said.

And delays there were. Traffic backed up in Mount Pleasant, but most severely in North Charleston, where city officials closed to trucks the Interstate 526 exits to Virginia and North Rhett avenues.

Traffic patterns are expected to remain strained this week.

Among the motorists caught in Tuesday's jam was Mayor Keith Summey, already a little fed up with port changes lately.

"It's frustrating from a public safety standpoint," Summey said. "If there's a fire on North Rhett, we can't get a firetruck to it."

The mayor recently announced plans to wage legal warfare against the state Commerce Department's rail plan to serve a container terminal under construction at the former Navy base.

"To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for the truck drivers," said Summey, who has vowed to fight the state plan to allow rail lines for the port to pass through the north part of the city. "They get paid by the load. This is just another port- related problem you have."

While truckers sat waiting to enter port gates Tuesday morning, the SPA board officially signed off on its new "common user" arrangement.

Previously, shipping lines licensed space on terminals and, as part of their contracts, had to meet a certain volume of cargo. The SPA on Tuesday launched a common user arrangement at its container yards, namely the Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals.

Three stevedore companies came together to form Charleston Gate LLC, which, through a public-private partnership with the SPA, now handles all trucks coming on or off terminals by staffing gates with union laborers.

Pat Barber, owner of local trucking company Superior Transportation, pointed out that the operational switch coincided with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and an especially high number of ship calls, 18 between Friday and Monday.

"We're trying to put too much through the funnel today," Barber said. "But there are long-term positives, even if it goes on all week."

Advantages of the new arrangement include a streamlined operation with standard, longer gate hours and no lunchtime closings. The SPA extended those hours even further Tuesday because of the traffic jam.

The setup also makes South Carolina's operations similar to the Port of Savannah, which gained business in recent years while Charleston lost cargo volume.

Referring to the traffic jam, Barber said, "We kind of expected this. Today was going to be a tough day."

Police had officers standing by to monitor the traffic and make sure that all lanes were not blocked, North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said.

Bo Petersen contributed to this report. Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594.

[Roadrunner]

Sounds like Savannah port every day and it don't get any better

[cheezburger]

with all that cheap freight sitting in that port sounds like now would be a great time for all of you to schedule a full week off and go fishing and then ask them what the rates are. i bet you will see a little more respect. call it trucker appreciation fishing week

[jody]

drivers at both savannah port,charleston port should get together now and start plan to do something bout this bs. we both share same problems. we could hold a meeting here at the columbus street longshoremen hall like we did several years back. someone should ask the ila about setting this up.

[ernie]

so when will we have a serious meeting in charleston?

[focker2]

when we have serious drivers.lol.it's dog eat dog in charlietown, steamship line-screws-customer/customer-screws-motor carrier/agent-screws-driver-against-driver/driver-screws-credit.