February 25, 2015

West Coast Port Slowdown Over; Impact on Trucking Capacity and Rates Anticipated

The West Coast port slowdown is all but over after a tentative deal was struck late last week between the ILWU and PMA; however, fresh produce exporters and domestic shippers may not be out of the woods yet. A massive port backlog is estimated to take as much as 12 weeks or longer to clear.  The combined effects of the backlog are expected to negatively affect equipment availability and truck rates in the near term.

Through the WG Transportation Program (WGTP) and our strategic relationship with CH Robinson, shipper members have exclusive access to tools and information that can help your company navigate through what is likely to be to be a period of instability in the transportation market. CHR’s Monday informational sheet and continued interaction with your CHR account representative can greatly assist in providing market information and solutions to your transportation requirements.

Understanding issues like the need to provide additional lead time in ordering transportation services and how to communicate possible delays with your customers is paramount.  Working with WGTP can stave off issues before they develop. 

If you are not already availing yourself of these tools, WG highly recommends you contact CHR’s John Stenderup at 866-771-1270 today.  Both CHR and Spotlight will continue to provide updates on the transportation situation. 

For questions related to the port slowdown or other related issues, please contact Ken Gilliland at (949) 885-2267.