Port of Oakland to test extended hours for truck gates

Port of Oakland to test extended hours for truck gates    SSA's terminal in the Port of Oakland will test a second shift truck gate plan for two or three months beginning Sept. 6, according to the Oakland Tribune.
   The test is to check the viability of keeping truck gates open from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. in order to shift truck traffic away from peak commuter times, port officials said.
   As at Southern California ports, which in July began their own extended hours program, trucks generally pick up and drop off containers weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Port officials said most of the goods they expect to move at night is export produce from California's Central Valley.
   A major advocate for extended gate hours has been E. & J. Gallo Winery.
   Unlike the program in Los Angeles and Long Beach, moves made during regular operating hours will not be assessed a fee.
   If enough truckers use the program, it could become permanent, the port said.
   In June, SSA and Oakland port officials told American Shipper they weren’t interested in night gates because freeway congestion does not approach the same level as in Los Angles, and because container volumes aren’t large enough to justify the additional cost of operating night gates.