Strong cargo volumes continued into early November at the Port of Long Beach, resulting in delays due to a shortage of truck trailers, but underscoring this year’s rebound in international trade and pointing to an economic upswing. The Port of Long Beach is working to establish a more consistent supply of truck chassis and is coordinating with all stakeholders to solve the current congestion issues that have slowed some shipments. One solution the Port is pursuing is to free up more of the chassis – the wheeled trailer-frames that carry cargo containers – by finding a place in the Harbor District to receive and temporarily store the empty containers that terminals may not have room for at this time. This allows truckers to use a chassis to carry a loaded container, rather than sit idle with an empty container.

That’s just one of the ways that the Port is addressing the backlog of cargo.“Our team is focused on making sure we relieve the congestion issues quickly, and put measures in place that will prevent the recurrence of this issue,” said Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup. “Our role is to stay engaged with the industry and look for every opportunity to facilitate solutions.” A busy peak shipping season, the advent of larger ships and a change in the ownership system for chassis fleets brought congestion to many seaports this year. As the busiest seaport complex in the United States, the issues have been evident at the Long Beach-L.A. ports. And because both ports are experiencing similar issues, the ports are working to gain permission to collaborate further on finding solutions. The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. With 140 shipping lines connecting Long Beach to 217 seaports, the Port handles $180 billion in trade annually, supporting thousands of Southern California jobs.