NORFOLK: The Port of Virginia says it hit an all-time record in March for the amount of containers it handled.
After winter storms caused the port a loss in February, cargo volumes rebounded in March, according to port spokesman Joe Harris. In fact, there was so much business, the port’s operations team had to make a number of changes to keep things moving.
“That amount of volume, some of which was carried over from February, presented a challenge to our team at every phase of the operation and it was most acute at Virginia International Gateway,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.
10 On Your Side did a series of reports on the wait times for truck drivers at Virginia International Gateway (VIG). At one point, it was so bad that truck drivers had to habitually relieve themselves on the side of the road, littering the area with human feces and creating a the stench of urine.
“Our operational consistency [at VIG] was overtaken by sheer … volume: our delivery of service at the VIG gate for the first three weeks of March was unacceptable,” Reinhart said.
The port made immediate changes, both in it’s operation and for the convenience of truck drivers. The brought in portable restrooms the day after our report aired and immediately extended gate hours. They’ve been updating WAVY.com about continual changes ever since.
“Our truck volumes did not let up any in March; we processed more than 81,400 truck moves despite the challenges,” Reinhart said. “We understand the hardship this period put on our motor carriers and customers and we are grateful for their patience through what has been a very difficult period.”
Reinhart said the port expects the increased cargo volume to continue, so they will keep implementing the changes they made in March to avoid congestion and unreasonable wait times. The port is also buying some new equipment and hiring more people to keep things running smoothly.
