inbound
Traffic congestion is a costly problem in and
around seaports and intermodal terminals. It
delays shipments, generates pollution from
idling vehicles, and limits the number of runs
truckers can make in a day. Much of that congestion can be attributed to drayage carriers
picking up or returning empty containers. If
those “empty” trips could be eliminated,
importers, exporters, and the carriers and
ports that serve them—not to mention residents living in nearby areas—would benefit.
It can be done, contends Chris Mazza,
senior vice president of business development for International Asset Systems (IAS).
IAS has developed Inter Turn, an automated
“street turn” solution that allows truckers to
hand off empty containers to other motor
carriers without entering a terminal. Under
this system, a trucking company that has an
empty container posts the availability and
location of the empty on the InterTurn
website. Another carrier that needs an
empty container can request a street turn. If
the ocean carrier that owns the container
approves the transaction, the truckers can
exchange the container and its chassis.
On a larger scale, these swaps create what
IAS calls a “virtual container yard.” The
concept has proved successful in Los
Angeles and Long Beach, where reducing
carbon emissions is a high priority. “If
you’re going to eliminate diesel particulate
matter from drayage, you have to reduce the
number of miles driven,” Mazza says.
Eliminating the empty leg of a round trip
does exactly that. It also reduces the number
of gate moves and enables better utilization
of containers, trucks, and drivers.
Do street turns mean damage to the boxes
could go unreported, since the empty
equipment is not being checked in and
inspected at a container yard? Mazza says
that risk is slight because participating
truckers must be registered and validated by
an IAS customer. They also must be signa-tories to an equipment interchange agreement that specifies their liability and holds
them accountable for damage.
To read more about virtual container yards,
go to www.interasset.com/pdfs/VCYWP.pdf.;
Takin’ it to the streets
Most of the ocean carriers plying the trans-Pacific trade lanes belong
to two separate “discussion agreements”: the import-focused
Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (TSA) and its export counterpart, the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization Agreement (WTSA). If
the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) gives its blessing, however, those groups will merge into a single entity covering both routes.
The TSA and WTSA describe themselves as “research and discussion
forums” for their ocean carrier members. Under U.S. law, members are
allowed to develop “voluntary, non-binding rate and service guidelines” that they may use in their contract negotiations with shippers.
But they may not jointly set rates or limit capacity. Some shippers have
questioned how closely carriers adhere to those prohibitions.
In November 2012, TSA asked the FMC for authorization to
expand its scope to include the westbound trade and to “suspend” the
WTSA, said Brian Conrad, administrator for both bodies. The agency
authorized a two-year trial that went into effect in April, Conrad said
at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade’s (CONECT)
Northeast Trade and Transportation Conference in Newport, R.I.
The primary reason for the proposed merger, Conrad said, is to
eliminate duplicate structures and reduce administrative costs. It
will also allow carriers to discuss “round-trip network issues,” he
said, noting that although the same carriers belong to both agreements, they could not talk about both eastbound and westbound
business in meetings.
Any merger—even of an administrative body—is bound to raise
the specter of rate increases and capacity consolidation, and audience members questioned Conrad on that score. “Market fundamentals” will continue to drive rates, he said, and insisted that the
group will continue to “religiously” observe the prohibition against
discussions about capacity. ;
Two for the price of one
We’re constantly amazed by the creativity
that pallets seem to inspire in people
worldwide. Here’s a new example: As
reported on the Treehugger website,
French architect Stephane Malka has
designed a sun shade made from recycled
wooden pallets. The proposed structure—
a take on the louvered sun shade known as a brise-soleil—is intended
to be attached to the facade of a student housing complex in Paris.
The pallets would be hinged, so they could be adjusted and moved
as needed to provide shade and ventilation. Individual adjustments
by residents would create ever-changing geometric patterns, adding
visual interest to the building. On the website ArchDaily, Malka said
he wanted to use existing materials to reduce waste and create something without generating pollution.
To read the article and see photos of Malka’s design, go to
www.treehugger.com/green-architecture. ;
Palais des pallets
PHOTO COURTESY OF WW W. TREEHUGGER.COM AND STEPHANE MALKA