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''OffPeak'' truck scheme aims to reduce traffic congestion created by country’s two busiest container ports

LONG BEACH - 01/18/06 - More than a million truck trips have been diverted from peak daytime traffic in Southern California since the start last July of PIERPass' "OffPeak" gate program at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Prior to the introduction of the program, a surge of imports - particularly from China - and a shortage of intermodal rail equipment created bottlenecks at the port complex in 2004, delaying Christmas shipments and causing gridlock on many of the region's overtaxed freeways.

"Thanks in part to the program's success, shipments flowed smoothly through the ports during the peak autumn shipping period, allowing retailers to keep their shelves well-stocked during the critical holiday shopping season," according to a statement from PIERPass.

PierPASS Inc. is the not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators several years ago to address the issue of congestion at both ports.

"This led some importers to threaten to bypass the ports and take their business elsewhere if the situation failed to improve," the company said.

"OffPeak" reached its million-truck milestone in early December, and, since the start of the program, between 30% and 35% of container cargo at the ports has moved during the new "OffPeak" shifts on a typical day.

The program is well ahead of its targets - when launching "OffPeak" in July, PierPASS said it aimed to shift 15% to 20% of all cargo movement to "OffPeak" shifts by the end of the first full year of operation, and 30% to 35% by the end of its second year.

Under the "OffPeak" program, all international container terminals in the two ports have established five new shifts per week - Monday through Thursday from 6:00 pm to 3:00 am and Saturday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

As an incentive to use the new "OffPeak" shifts, a Traffic Mitigation Fee is now required for most cargo movement during peak hours at both ports - Monday through Friday, 3:00 am to 6:00 pm.

"We're very pleased to have helped facilitate the better use of port facilities in Los Angeles and Long Beach, and we want to thank all those cargo stakeholders who have supported our efforts," said Bruce Wargo, PierPASS Inc. president and CEO.

According to the statement, area commuters have reported "a noticeable decrease in traffic congestion on roads" adjacent to both port complexes.

As of mid-October, northbound truck traffic on the Long Beach Freeway (I -710) during peak hours had dropped an estimated 24% since the introduction of "OffPeak," according to a study by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority (ACTA).

On a typical day, the study concluded, more than 10,000 trucks use the new "OffPeak" shifts - enough to stretch from Long Beach to San Diego if lined up end-to-end.

"Taking trucks out of stop-and-go daytime traffic and letting them move at night in faster-flowing traffic is also expected to have a positive impact on air quality around the ports," said Wargo.

In addition to reducing gridlock, the program "has helped with job creation and retention at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach," he said. "Marine terminals operating at the ports have hired hundreds of additional workers to move cargo since the inception of 'OffPeak,' including more than 300 new high-paying union jobs at the terminals."

The "OffPeak" program was planned with the goal of reducing congestion in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - the busiest "load center" port complex in the US and the fifth-largest in the world.

In 2000, nearly $200 billion worth of goods moved through the ports, generating more than $16 billion in state and local taxes and creating 2 million jobs throughout the country. 

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