BI-STATE MOTOR CARRIERS FILE FMC PETITION AGAINST N.Y.-N.J. TERMINALS

BI-STATE MOTOR CARRIERS FILE FMC PETITION AGAINST N.Y.-N.J. TERMINALS    'The Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers Inc., filed a petition on Monday with the Federal Maritime Commission against three terminals in the port of New York and New Jersey, charging “egregious unreasonable practices” that have resulted in truck detentions causing delays which “stack the deck” against truckers.
   The three terminals cited, American Stevedoring Inc.; Port Newark Container Terminal, and Universal Maritime Service Corp., are members of the New York Terminal Conference.
   The Bi-State petition omitted Howland Hook Container Terminal and Maher Terminals. “Those facilities have made reasonable efforts to deal with congestion,” Carlos Rodriguez, an attorney in Washington, D.C., told Shippers NewsWire.
   The 31-page petition to the FMC stated that “port congestion caused by the NYTC terminals results in excessive waiting time for truckers within the marine terminal,” and quoted a prior FMC ruling that “truckmen have a right to expect handling as expeditiously as possible.”
   Spokesmen for the terminals and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said they could not comment on the Bi-State petition until they had read it in full.