L.A.-Long Beach after-hours gate program benefits truckers, terminals

L.A.-Long Beach after-hours gate program benefits truckers, terminals Truckers involved in an after-hours marine terminal gate program at Southern California ports are reporting increased truck trips, reduced congestion and increased earnings since the program began in July 2005.
   The data, released Tuesday, comes from a third program-wide survey of truckers by the program operators, PierPASS.
   PierPASS is a not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to address port-wide issues such as congestion, security and air quality. The PierPASS OffPeak program offers financial incentives to cargo owners to move cargo at night and on weekends, resulting in reduced truck traffic, terminal congestion and pollution during peak daytime traffic hours.
   Two-thirds of surveyed truckers involved in the program reported both reduced traffic congestion (67 percent) and more flexible work schedules (66 percent) since the program began. Drivers also confirmed making more delivery trips than reported in the previous survey, with 45 percent confirming an overall increase in trips, up slightly from May.
   The survey also revealed that 64 percent of all drivers are making three trips or more per shift, compared with 58 percent just six months ago. Highlighting this continuing positive cargo movement trend, more drivers reported higher earnings, a move from 34 percent to 37 percent since the May survey.
   PierPASS estimates that nearly 3 million trucks, or 60,000 truck trips per week, used the OffPeak program's nighttime and Saturday gates in 2006.