WASHINGTON: A third marine terminal operator wants truckers to make appointments before picking up cargo at the Port of Oakland, officials at the California port said Dec. 1. Wilmington, Calif.-based TraPac announced it was requiring appointments for all import container pick-ups as of Dec. 6. TraPac said the appointment system will reduce waiting times by more evenly distributing truck arrivals throughout each day. TraPac becomes the third of four terminals in Oakland to require appointments — the others are Everport and Oakland International Container Terminal. Combined, they handle more than 90% of the containerized cargo moving through Oakland.
Port of Oakland maritime director John Driscoll praised TraPac for making the change. “It’s not easy introducing new operating procedures, but customers and harbor truckers benefit whenever we can speed up container throughput,” he said in a news release. Oakland is one of only a handful of ports nationwide with an appointment system. Oakland port officials say appointments are seen as essential to accelerating cargo flow at ports coping with bigger ships and growing container volumes.
TraPac said truck dispatchers can log on to the nationwide port information system eModal to make appointments. The company said the requirement for appointments applies — for the present — only to loaded import containers. TraPac said truck drivers won’t need reservations for export deliveries or to pick up or return empty containers. It said it will communicate “well in advance” when it plans to expand appointments to all transactions. Appointments are the second measure implemented at TraPac this fall intended to improve terminal performance. Two months ago, the terminal began opening selective night gates to ease daytime crowding. In October, port commissioners approved a new lease enabling TraPac to double its size in Oakland next year.
