Single Data Portal, Appointment System Could Increase Port Efficiency, Industry Tells Commerce
U.S. port congestion might be alleviated through creating a supply chain data sharing platform, instituting revolving labor shifts, and potentially implementing a terminal appointment system, industry groups said in response to the Commerce Department’s request for comments on its “21st Century Port Competitiveness Initiative." The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said the federal government should prioritize information sharing to optimize supply chain efficiency. “Data is the new infrastructure,” NCBFAA Vice President of International Transportation Richard Roche said in comments to Commerce (here). “This should be a key area of focus, while keeping security as top priority. Only vetted partners should be able to access, and only those fields specific to their business.” Data enhancements could allow terminals to better forecast orders and offload times, and give more advanced notice of container availability, Roche said.
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Such a universal system would get ocean carriers, marine terminal operators (MTOs), motor carriers, importers, and exporters on the same page, National Retail Federation Supply Chain and Customs Policy Vice President Jonathan Gold said in comments (here). NRF called for the development of key performance indicators that would serve as an overarching standard for port workers—specifically for activities at the berth, within terminal yards, in truck gate operations, and in on-dock rail operations—in lieu of extending the more piecemeal tracking currently in place at ports, as many port authorities and MTOs view performance metrics as a competitive issue. Performance metrics established pursuant to the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act will likely become a launch pad for more privately developed metrics, Gold said.
NCBFAA cited vessel calls that stack more shipping containers at terminals and insufficient gate hours as two major challenges posed to U.S. ports today. The American Association of Exporters and Importers (here) also called for extended gate hours. In addition, revolving labor shifts to maintain a steady workflow through worker breaks, higher pay for port truck drivers, and measurements of terminal productivity and process times could also help streamline operations, NCBFAA said. But the International Longshoreman’s Association in comments (here) called for Commerce to dismiss requests from shippers, businesses, and conservative political communities to “inappropriately divert the dialogue to measure port-worker productivity, and/or otherwise seek to impede the collective bargaining rights of the nation’s port workers.”