PierPass registration set to begin

PierPass registration set to begin    Shippers, brokers, truckers and logistics companies will be able to begin registering Monday to participate in PierPass, the program for extended gate hours being developed by terminal operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to reduce traffic congestion in the area, the organization managing the program announced.
   Affiliated Computer Services, the company hired by the terminals to develop and operate the information technology system to manage the program for night and weekend gates, will begin enrolling companies for PierPass accounts online at https://www.pierpass-tmf.org.
   The program will officially launch in late July when all marine terminals open during off-peak hours. To cover the cost of operating extra shifts and provide an incentive for customers to use the extended gates, the PierPass special purpose entity will assess a $40 per TEU fee ($80 for a 40-foot container) on every container that moves out of the yard during peak daytime hours. Containers that move during off-peak hours or by train through the Alameda Corridor are exempt from the fee.
   Companies will be billed through their accounts for peak moves or receive automatic credit for designated off-peak or rail moves.
   The terminals have doubled the original fee even before the program has taken full effect. When the program was announced last year, the terminals established a $20 per TEU fee and said it could double within six months. Now, the $20 fee will apply during the transition period for systems testing scheduled for mid-June to late-July and rise to $40 per TEU as soon as PierPass goes live.
   PierPass defines peak daytime hours as 3 a.m. to 6 p.m.
   PierPass President Bruce Wargo encouraged all port users to register as soon as possible whether or not they intend to use off-peak gates.