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The West Coast ports are expected to return to “normal” by the end of May, but it may not be the “normal” that it was before the contract negotiations began. With bigger ships and more of them, the ports will have to work harder than ever to avoid congestion and keep cargo moving without delays. Truck turn times at some terminals have improved, lasting between 70 and 90 minutes. However, others still average above 100 minutes.

While there is still Teamster action on the US West Coast, congestion in the East Coast ports continues to plague importers and exporters. The lines to get into the NJ ports were so long last week that a New Jersey Turnpike exit was sporadically closed to prevent further back up on the highway. With more services coming into the East Coast, and larger ships coming in from Asia, the East Coast ports may continue to suffer congestion, especially with some importers continuing to divert their cargo.
According to the Journal of Commerce, the trend of diverting cargo is likely to continue.

The four-day trucker strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach concluded last Friday, May 1st. The strikers, backed by the Teamsters Union, protested against four trucking firms and accused them of “defying state and federal labor enforcement decisions” through misclassifying the truckers as independent contractors rather than as employees.

Today, Thursday, April 30th, marks day four of the trucker strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Truckers continue to protest against being classified as independent contractors and instead want to be considered as employees with the right to join a labor union.

With the truckers picketing at both cargo and rail terminals, both ports have experienced delays in cargo movement.

Truck drivers who transport freight out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced they will strike against four ground-shipment companies this week on the grounds of illegal misclassification. According to the drivers, the companies are guilty of wage theft as they consider the truckers to be independent contractors rather than employees with the right to union representation.