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Virtual Container Yards - Help Truckers and Shipper Avoid Onerous Port Fees | 28th Nov 2008
January, 2007 - List all Supply Chain Technology articles
Virtual Container Yards
Net Real Results
by Amy Roach Partridge
Waste is the sworn enemy of the supply chain. Whether time and money is squandered because of excess inventory, unnecessary cargo moves, manufacturing foul-ups, under-utilized technology systems, or inaccurate sales forecasting, logisticians are tasked every day with avoiding waste and inefficiency.
One particularly vexing source of waste for transportation carriers today is empty containers. Thanks to steady increases in global transportation, container trade levels are way up, which has led to an abundance of empty containers piling up at port terminals, rail ramps, and inland container depots across the United States.
The container influx also means a large volume of empty trailers and containers traversing U.S. highways. This efficiency-killer stems from two sources: empty import containers returning to a terminal from a consignee's facility, and empty containers traveling from the port to be loaded up with export goods at a shipper's DC.
Those extra trips add up to a lot of wasted transportation time and expense for both carriers and shippers.
It is no surprise then that the Virtual Container Yard (VCY), a relatively untapped technology aimed at reducing empty container handling, is gaining favor with ocean and motor freight carriers.
Though the details of each system vary, a VCY is a web-based information exchange platform that allows users to match empty equipment needs so they can interchange, or "street turn," empty containers without first returning them to a terminal, rail ramp, or container yard.
Wanted: Empty Containers
Trucking operators access a VCY system to post empty container availability, outlining pertinent information such as container location and availability. Other trucking operators, seeking empty containers, check this availability and request a street-turn transaction. The system requests permission from the ocean carrier that owns the container, and the transaction is accepted or denied.
"The VCY concept represents an attempt to use simple, well-tested IT technologies -- including next-generation Internet and other new platforms -- to make landside port-related freight logistics more efficient and less costly," say Drs. Maria Boile and Sotiris Theofanis with the Maritime Infrastructure Engineering and Management program at Rutgers University's Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation.
Managing empty containers is particularly troublesome in port regions and densely populated economic centers, say Boile and Theofanis, because the influx of empty containers moving on area roads adds to already elevated levels of traffic congestion and emissions pollution in these communities.
Typical daily container volumes entering and exiting the Port of New York/New Jersey in 2005, for example, totaled 5,899 and 6,383, respectively, according to a study prepared for the port by New York engineering firm Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates. Given the empty trips to and from the port, total daily truck trips in 2005 were nearly double that number each day.
Ports Push Technology
Clearly, empty containers are full of challenges for ports. As such, U.S. ports have been instrumental in pushing VCY technology.
The ports of Oakland -- the first to launch a VCY system in the United States -- and Los Angeles/Long Beach, as well as the Port of Melbourne in Australia, have also implemented or piloted some type of VCY system.
The Port of New York/New Jersey will launch its VCY -- powered by technology from eModal of Irvine, Calif. -- this May, becoming the first East Coast port to embrace a VCY solution.
As the port's cargo volume continues to grow, port officials sought "innovative ways to reduce traffic at our gates and in our marine terminal and regional roadway system," explains Peter Zantal, general manager of strategic analysis and industry relations for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
"We hope VCY will also reduce the cost of transporting containers by truck because of savings generated from reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the decrease in required driver time," Zantal adds.
While VCY systems are a PR coup for ports, which can boast of their "good neighbor" efforts to mitigate traffic congestion and adverse environmental impacts, they are also a smart strategy for both ocean and motor freight carriers.
Ocean carriers have notorious difficulty with empty containers because they lose crucial asset visibility when their containers are transferred to other carriers' control for final delivery. This robs them of the chance to impact what happens between the time a carrier takes their container from the yard, and when it is returned.
"Ocean carriers don't share operational systems with railroads or trucking companies, so once a container is handed off to those entities, it is out of control and out of sight," explains Phil Behenna, senior vice president, intermodal, for International Asset Systems (IAS), an Oakland, Calif.-based asset management solutions provider that paired with eModal to implement the VCY currently in use at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
"In the intermodal sector, reuse of trailers without bringing the box back empty to a yard can be as low as 2 percent," Behenna adds.
By using VCYs, ocean carriers can reposition their assets more effectively. With its VCY implementation, the Port of NY/NJ expects ocean carriers to "improve asset utilization, reduce gate transactions at the port, streamline inventory, and reduce disputes because of a formal agreement to participate in street turns," says Zantal.
For trucking companies, the aim of the game is reducing unproductive vehicle miles traveled. Using a VCY to cut down on the number of empty trips to and from terminals helps trucking companies combat the amount of time their trucks spend on the road -- a key metric for reducing all associated expenses, such as fuel costs, driver pay, and wear and tear on assets.
"For trucking operators, the potential to decrease VMTs and add extra paid trips is of major importance," note Boile and Theofanis.
Truckers also get to slash the amount of time they wait in long lines with their engines running to get into inefficient marine terminals or container yards, says Behenna.
Naturally, any strategy or technology that improves efficiency and reduces expenses for carriers is ultimately good for the shippers that use their services. "The enhanced possibility for shippers and consignees to negotiate -- either directly, or indirectly through intermediary representatives -- better prices for drayage operations dealing with containers they use for their activities" is another check in the positive column for VCYs, say Boile and Theofanis.
Enter Automation
While the appeal of street turns is hard to argue, the systems for managing them have not been terribly robust to date. The web-based nature -- coupled with the casual, ad-hoc way many street-turn arrangements are formed -- has not lent itself to rich functionality or extensive integration with carriers' other transportation systems.
This is starting to change, however, as carriers realize the need for automated systems to curb human error, and providers realize the lucrative potential in offering robust functionality.
Automation is key for several reasons. Because ocean containers are valuable assets, turning them over to truckers to use at their discretion is not the wisest move. But manually monitoring each transaction, and the specifics surrounding it, is a burden few ocean carriers want to accept.
"Several critical checks have to be run to allow a street turn to take place," explains Behenna of IAS, which is releasing its fully automated system, VCY 2.0, in March. An ocean carrier, he explains, must determine the following:
1. Do I want this container filled with cargo? While most containers are more valuable full than empty, in some cases, carriers may choose not to put the container back into rotation. They may want to return a leased container to the leasing company, or sell an old container, for example.
2. To whom is the container going? Liability issues are key, particularly when one trucking company is asking to hand off the container to another trucking company. Ocean carriers must know whether the truckers are insured; also if a trucker owes per diem charges to a carrier, "it will not be overly thrilled to give that trucker another container," explains Behenna.
3. What will the container be used for? Ocean carriers must know what a trucker wants to transport in the container, and make sure it is an appropriate use of the asset. In addition, a trucker may unwittingly want to ship a container to a destination that cannot accommodate its size.
While those questions establish good guidelines, can a trucker realistically be expected to pick up the phone and ask an ocean carrier every time it wishes to initiate a street turn? Likewise, we can all imagine how happy the ocean carrier will be to handle a few thousand extra phone calls per day from truckers seeking to use its assets.
Seeking Customization
IAS' new system addresses these concerns by allowing ocean carriers to customize the VCY, inputting business rules to specify what type of containers can be street-turned, as well as which truckers are allowed access to their empty containers.
"The system helps filter out unsuitable containers. An ocean carrier can say, 'Never allow a street turn with a reefer or flat rack'; or 'Any unit with a certain prefix is a lease unit that I might want to off-hire so don't include those,'" explains Behenna.
"This way, the only containers visible to truckers accessing the system are containers the ocean carrier wants to have street-turned," he adds.
In addition, VCY 2.0 lets ocean carriers customize a list of approved truckers, which IAS updates dynamically. This prevents a street turn from occurring with unapproved truckers because only those truckers on the ocean carriers' list will have visibility of container interchange opportunities.
"When a trucker requests a container through our system, it is prompted to enter the booking number associated with that shipment. The system dynamically checks the number against the ocean carriers' system to make sure it is a valid booking," Behenna explains. "Because the system is dynamic, truckers can make real-time decisions about street-turn opportunities -- the trucker sees the container, requests it, and receives an immediate yes or no without speaking to anyone.
"In addition, the ocean carrier gets the control it needs without being involved in every transaction," he says.
Integrating these capabilities with ocean carriers' transportation management systems is another benefit of automated VCYs. This aspect is one the Port of NY/NJ hopes will makes its VCY -- based on a similar automated system from eModal -- attractive to carriers.
"Ocean carriers will be able to post all their empty containers via a single data-mapped feed. eModal is already working with many ocean carrier parent or sister companies to receive data in a similarly mapped format," explains the Port Authority's Zantal.
A Solid Future?
It seems there is not much about VCYs to debate -- they offer a simple, yet effective technology that helps carriers curb expenses, improve visibility, and, in some cases, generate additional revenue. Add in the extra "green" bonus of improving congestion and pollution in economic hotspots and port communities -- what's not to love?
It is still unclear at this point how quickly VCYs will catch on, however. The willingness of ocean and trucking carriers to share information and assets -- though beneficial to both parties -- may be one barrier to widespread VCY adoption.
"It is critical to understand the needs and expectations of all VCY players, and to respond positively to them, in order to come to a widely accepted set of system characteristics, processes, and institutional arrangements that work best," say Boile and Theofanis, who recently released a study examining the feasibility of VCY systems using a simulation-based model to approximate realistic conditions.
Partial collaboration -- where groups of ocean carriers collaborate with their respective pools of truckers to share containers -- is more likely to occur than complete collaboration, the study shows.
"The simulation leads to encouraging results for the use of VCYs," they note. "In addition, the fact that established collaborations among groups of carriers exist on other business aspects increases expectations for the potential success of VCY systems."
In order for VCYs to be successful, Boile and Theofanis recommend participants pay careful attention to the system's user requirements and functionalities; ensure equipment interchange rules are met; and balance costs and incentives among all parties.
Start Slow, Start Small
"The success of VCY systems depends on truckers and ocean carriers making it happen," adds Behenna. One way to do that is to start slow.
Carriers don't need to begin using a VCY system nationwide; and they don't need to start with extremely complex scenarios involving multiple ocean carriers and multiple truckers, he says. Carriers can reap benefits from even the most basic VCY transactions.
"Trucker A used to take a container back empty from a consignee facility; now it can give visibility of that unit to an ocean carrier and pick up an extra load. The ocean carrier saves money, and the trucker gets extra revenue," Behenna explains.
Currently, Behenna estimates carriers can save about $200 per street turn by using a VCY. And, once these systems become institutionalized, the potential for greater savings arises -- including savings that extend to shippers.
A trucker and an ocean carrier, for example, may determine that, based on their general import and export flows to one area, a certain type of ongoing street-turn arrangement makes sense.
"They realize they can all benefit -- by taking that extra load, the trucker receives 150 percent of the round-trip rate, while the ocean carrier and shipper each pay 75 percent of what they would have paid, and reduce their current haulage expense by 25 percent each," he explains.
You'd be hard-pressed to find waste in that scenario.
CLEAN TRUCK PROGRAM | 13th Sep 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Arley Baker
Port of Los Angeles
(310) 7323093
abaker©portla.org
COURT RULING ALLOWS MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA AND
PORT OF LOS ANGELES TO MOVE FORWARD WITH OCTOBER 1
LAUNCH OF CLEAN TRUCK PROGRAM
Port Officials Are Working Closely With Licensed Motor Carriers, Drivers and Terminal Operators To Prepare For Start of Landmark Environmental Program
SAN PEDRO, Calif. — September 11, 2008 — Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder to deny the American Trucking Associations’ request for a temporary injunction against the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program (CTP) clears the way for the October 1, 2008 launch of the landmark environmental program that will help the San Pedro Bay ports reduce port truck emissions by 80 percent over the next several years.
‘The court’s decision is an important milestone in the implementation of the landmark Clean Trucks Program --this moves us one step closer to cleaner air and a safer Port for all Los Angeles area residents,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Judge Snyder recognized the legitimate environmental and public safety concerns that the Port is addressing in the Clean Truck Program.”
“A concession-based trucking system is central to the sustainability of the Clean Truck Program and critical in our efforts to aggressively clean the air and operate a safe, secure port” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “This ruling, and our growing list of concession applicants, puts us in a good position for a strong program start.”
THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES
Clean Truck Program Update
2-2-2
Port officials are focusing their efforts on preparing to enforce the progressive dirty truck ban, which will prohibit pre-1989 trucks from hauling containers in and out of marine terminals beginning October I. In the days ahead, the Port will also begin approving concession applications and assisting Licensed Motor Carriers (LMC5) and Terminal Operators in the actions they need to take for program implementation.
Beyond the truck ban, key components of the CTP that go into effect at the Port of Los Angeles on October 1 include:
o A $35-per-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) Clean Truck Fee assessed on containers hauled in and out of cargo terminals by trucks that do not meet 2007 EPA standards (Marine Terminal Operators will charge the fee to cargo owners);
o A requirement that trucks entering Port terminals be logged into the Drayage Truck Registry (DTR) database now online; and
o A requirement that LMCs have a concession agreement to haul cargo in and out of Port terminals.
Both ports strongly encourage LMCs to register all trucks -- LMC-owned or independent owner-operated -- into the Drayage Truck Registry that is now available online at www.portoflosangeles.org and also ensure that their drivers have TW1C security credentials.
Licensed motor carriers who want more information about the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program can visit www.portoflosanpeles.orgfcleantrucks. LMCs seeking concession or truck grant application assistance can also call a Port representative at 1-868-KLN-POLA, or visit the Clean Trucks Center at Pier S Avenue and New Dock Street on Terminal Island.
Clean Truck Program Update
3-3-3
On Friday, September 12, at 9:00 am., the Port will hold a workshop for terminal operators, cargo owners, shipping companies and other industry groups focused on operational aspects of the CTP such as collection of the Clean Air Truck Fee.
About the Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also known as “America’s Port,” has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy and the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. A recipient of numerous environmental awards, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2007 Clean Air Excellence Award, the Port of Los Angeles is committed to innovating cleaner, greener ways of doing business. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. The Port of Los Angeles - A cleaner port. A brighter future.
Clean Trucks Program | 11th Sep 2008
A U.S. District Court judge finalized a ruling Tuesday, September 9, 2008, refusing to halt the Port of Long Beach's landmark Clean Trucks Program, which on October 1 will start improving the region's air quality by banning the oldest, most polluting trucks.
Judge Christina Snyder cited the Program's environmental and security requirements in dismissing a request by the American Trucking Association for a preliminary injunction.
"Enjoining the (Clean Truck Program's) concession agreements would have the potential to compromise security measures, which could significantly harm the public interest in secure ports," Snyder wrote in a 26-page ruling. "Furthermore, the public also has an important interest in ensuring that the environmental benefits from the Clean Trucks Program are implemented..."
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said, "This is a huge victory for the City and the Port of Long Beach. From the beginning, our goal has been to help clean the air and do it as quickly and responsibly as possible. Our Port is one of the city's most critical and important assets. We have a responsibility to Long Beach citizens and the region to take bold steps to clean the air."
James Hankla, president of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, said, "Our Clean Trucks Program will bring a new generation of clean trucks and clean air to this region, and begin a new era in port security."
The American Trucking Association sought to stop the Port from using a concession system to require trucking firms to dispatch only clean trucks to the Port and dispatch only drivers who have undergone a security background check and obtained a federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential. On Monday, Judge Snyder had issued a temporary order rejecting the preliminary injunction.
The Clean Trucks Program on October 1 will start phasing out dirty trucks from port service by barring all 1988 and older vehicles. By 2012, all trucks entering Port terminals must have engines that meet 2007 federal emission standards, which are 80 percent cleaner than existing engines. Also on October 1, the Port will begin assessing a temporary fee of $35 per a 20-foot-long cargo container to fund a one-time truck replacement financial assistance program that will help truck owners to quickly comply with the clean truck deadlines.
Thousands of truckers have already signed on to the Port's Clean Trucks Program, promising to transition to clean trucks. The Port is urging all truckers to join in improving air quality and moving cargo.
Clean Truck Workshop | 11th Sep 2008
PORT OF LONG BEACH: September 11th 1:00 p.m. PST
Logistics Industry Clean Trucks Workshop
“The Port of Long Beach will host a workshop on the Clean Trucks Program for beneficial cargo owners, ocean carriers, customs brokers and freight forwarders and other logistics industry professionals at 1:00 p.m. at the Port Administration Building, 925 Harbor Plaza, Long Beach. The workshop will be webcast live. “
The workshop will be webcast live. To view the event on September 11, click here.
http://www.polb.com/ (in center of webpage is link to webcast)
PORT OF LOS ANGELES: September 12th 9:00 a.m. PST
“Logistics Supply Chain Clean Truck Workshop on the Clean Truck Program for beneficial cargo owners, ocean carriers, customs brokers, and freight forwarders and other logistic professionals. Port Executive Director Dr. Geraldine Knatz and Port staff will present details of the program, answer questions and address concerns. The Port of Los Angeles is committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the Clean Truck Program which is scheduled for implementation on October 1, 2008.”
If you plan to attend in person, RSVP to Tina Perez at 310-573-8557 or email her at rsvp@cleantruckscenter.com
Live webcast: http://lacity.granicus.com/mediaPlayer.php?event_id=247 or use the port’s main webpage to access information: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/
Call in by phone: 1-866-230-1127 pass code 7936409
Clean Truck Tariff | 20th Aug 2008
Marine Terminal Operators Will Begin
Collecting Clean Trucks Tariff on October 1, 2008
New “PortCheck” Organization Will Implement Tariff Requirements
Dear Important Stakeholders:
On October 1, 2008, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach will begin implementing the ports’ Clean Trucks Tariff (CTT). This will require all Marine Terminal Operators (MTOs) to collect a Clean Trucks Fee (CTF) of $35 per loaded TEU on containers that move through the terminals (cargo moved via on-dock rail not included). This fee will be used to help the ports pay for the emission reduction programs that they are implementing in order to achieve their goal of reducing air pollution from operations at the ports.
In order to collect the fee required by the Clean Trucks Tariff, MTOs are developing a new organization called PortCheck. PortCheck will develop the system that will be used by terminal operators to both collect and remit the CTF to the ports. The system will automatically ascertain the age of the truck, whether it is operating under a valid concession, and what fee may be owed for the gate move. The system will determine whether the truck can have access to the terminal, and it will bill the fees to the responsibl e party.
In order for this system to work successfully, all who claim cargo at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will be required to be registered with PortCheck. Trucks entering or leaving with containerized cargo will have their CTF calculated automatically by PortCheck, and the resulting fee will be charged to the importer or exporter of the goods in the container. Information for trucks that are already registered in PierPass will automatically be exported to the PortCheck database.
The purpose of the CTF is to help fund the modernization of the ports’ drayage fleet as part of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) that both ports jointly adopted in November 2006. The CAAP was adopted to take critical steps to address environmental and public health impacts of port-related goods movement on those who work or live in the South Coast Air Basin. With the implementation CAAP’s strategies such as the Clean Truck Program, goals to significantly reduce emissions while accommodating growth will be substantially met.
More information on PortCheck wi ll be available soon. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Clean Truck Center (1-888-KLNTRUX) for more information, or visit www.polb.com/cleantrucks or www.portoflosangeles.org/cleantrucks
Massive truck-replacement | 9th Aug 2008
LOS ANGELES -- They might be acolytes of Al Gore and harbor lofty ideas about ridding the world of air pollution, but it would appear the Port Authorities in California studied business at the Fidel Castro School of Economics.
Officials overseeing this area’s ports have mandated that by October, their massive truck-replacement program will be in full swing. Los Angeles and Long Beach port officials intend to reduce emissions by subsidizing the replacement of about 16,000 short-haul diesel trucks in San Pedro Bay.
Except that the truckers who own said vehicles aren’t going along with it. According to the LA Business Journal, very few companies are going along with the plan, even though it would take several months to convert a fleet, if they were going to comply.
Some truckers are simply confused about the scheme. Others are awaiting a possible court challenge to the plan. The American Trucking Associations might be leading a lawsuit that could derail the big switcheroo to green port vehicles.
“I don’t know of anybody that’s gone out and started gearing up with employee drivers or even company trucks for that matter,” said Brian Griley, president of Southern Counties Express Inc., a Rancho Dominguez-based motor carrier with about 160 trucks in its fleet.
California port authorities are willing to subsidize the
purchase of clean trucks like this LNG-fuelled rig,
but with a number of strings attached.
Not only do the ports want companies to retrofit their engines, they are insisting that truckers who have business in the ports abandon owner-operators and only use company drivers and company vehicles. Truckers are also against the idea of having to open their books to the Port Authorities, who want to ensure the truckers are financially sound. Not only that, but it looks as though the Port Authorities will want to be given sign-off privileges when a trucking company is bought or sold.
Through the program, the ports would subsidize the replacement of standard diesel trucks with a combination of cleaner-burning diesel models and alternative fuel vehicles. One such replacement could cost up to $100,000.
A lawsuit could delay key elements of the program, and if a lawsuit does not materialize or is quickly dismissed, many motor carriers would be unprepared when the program begins.
"It’s definitely a recipe for disaster,” said Kristen Monaco, a trucking expert and professor at California State University Long Beach. “Everyone’s anticipating that the lawsuit will hold everything up for a while. If there’s no lawsuit I think everyone will be shocked and a little unprepared.”
California legislators pass Lowenthal container fee bill | 8th Aug 2008
California legislators pass Lowenthal container fee bill
July 15, 2008
By Stephanie Nall
Contributed by Pacific Shipper
The California state Assembly on Tuesday voted 45-23 in favor of a $30-per-TEU charge on containers moving through ports to pay for transportation infrastructure and air quality improvement projects.
Introduced by State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach after years of discussion, the fee would be imposed on containers imported or exported through the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland.
On Monday the bill was amended with more than a dozen changes, mostly procedural. However, the adopted amendments mean that boxes crossing the docks at the Port of Oakland will be included. Officials there had sought an agreement that the port would be exempt from the fee if it imposed its own container fee to be used for similar projects.
Port commissioners earlier this month passed a tariff that would add a $12.50 per TEU fee to import and export boxes -- a level much lower than the separate fees of $50 per TEU that will be assessed on containers moving through San Pedro Bay ports beginning Oct. 1.
The state senate must now conduct a “concurrence” vote approving the Monday amendments. Lowenthal last week reviewed his list of changes to the measure with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who is expected to sign the legislation.
In addition to the language concerning Oakland, the amendments also list a number of specific projects to be paid for with the new container fee. Those projects include dozens of grade separations at rail-highway crossings in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties along with rail projects at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Another change made Monday requires that replacing and retrofitting old, dirty trucks be given priority in spending the environmental funds.
PortBusiness.org helps truckers with new regulations | 8th Aug 2008
PortBusiness.org and its members understand the vital role America's independent truckers have in out Nation's ports. PortBusiness.org initated a trucker hotline to help carriers with the ever increasing regulations regarding clean reefers, TWIK cards and port entry. Join PortBusiness.org today!
PortBusiness.org form to bring business to Port Hueneme! | 7th Aug 2008
PortBusiness.org was formed to promote business and international commerce. We believe that NAFTA and open unfettered access to global markets holds the brightest future for global growth, peace and prosperity.
Recently, both Republicans and Democrat's rhetoric has been more protectionist. Protectionism is the worst possible reaction to a slowing economy (as history has shown us with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930). We believe the answer to our economic down-turn is growth through trade. The weakness of the dollar offers great opportunities for U.S. exporters and manufacturers; unfortunately, not enough ground work has been done to prepare for this opportunity.
Exporters and importers are struggling with increasingly onerous governmental action. We all want safe and secure ports, however, it should be arrived at in an intellegent, results oriented, manner instead of reationary policies. PortBusiness.org seeks to improve the inspection regime for both importers and exporters. We strive to ease causeways to and from ports by challenging not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) backlash from communities. We are tasked with demonstrating the economic benefits vibrant ports can have on a regional economy.
Join PortBusiness.org we are opening our first office in Oxnard / Port Hueneme to promote increased business through the Port of Hueneme. Call today if you believe there is a port near you that needs PortBusiness.org!
Test News | 17th Jan 2008
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