The difference between east coast and west coast ports

Recent disruptions across Total Terminals International (TTI) ports on the West Coast shut down 6 major ports: Seattle, Tacoma, Oakland, Hueneme, Long Beach, and Los Angeles. Detrimental reactions to labor contract negotiations breed unpredictability and concerns for the west coast ports. Still, there is some relief as a tentative agreement was reached this past Wednesday.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” said PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Willie Adams in a joint statement. “We are also pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast Ports.” 

-- Statement from the Pacific Maritime Association
June 14th, 2023

Don't wait for the next shutdown to familiarize yourself with the distinctions between U.S. seaports, their key players, and the improvements being made...or at least attempted.

Anyone who has worked in logistics knows that existential dread you feel when there’s a problem with one of your loads. The examples are endless, of course: a newly onboarded carrier assigned to pick up at 12:30 calls at 11:59 to say they aren’t empty yet from their previous load; a carrier delivering into a major retailer missed their Monday delivery appointment and was told by the receiver the next available time slot is Wednesday. Shipping delays are so common in this industry that some people use the phrase “freight happens” to shrug off these setbacks. Yet, freight shipping delays usually create additional expenses to transportation costs, whether detention, demurrage, or storage fees, among other things. A Freightwaves report from 2020 suggested that detention time cost the U.S. truck industry over $1bn in annual revenue per year. The report also included some sobering U.S. Department of Transportation statistics that suggest increased detention time also increased the likelihood of road accidents as loading and unloading delays increased driver fatigue and caused drivers to make up for the lost time by speeding on their way to the next destination.