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generated by PLG is fed into the
FRATIS software, which sends a
message to Yusen that identifies the
truck that will pick up the container
when it becomes available. Yusen
then relays real-time information to
PLG on the container’s status.
Once a container is tagged, the
software assigns the pickup to the
driver in the best geographical posi-
tion to retrieve the container. After
the driver accepts the order, FRATIS
determines the optimal route for
the truck, suggesting alternatives
if necessary to help the driver
avoid any delay-causing incidents.
Meanwhile, the system notifies the
terminal of the truck’s estimated
time of arrival. Because Yusen sees
all of the information in advance,
it can assign PLG’s trucks a special
gate that functions as an “express
lane” of sorts, according to Michael
Johnson, PLG’s trucking operations
manager. “Generally, the marine
terminal has no clue why a truck is
there until it reaches the gate and
provides the information,” Johnson
said in a recent white paper on the
project.
The pilot’s first phase will run
until February. The next phase,
which is expected to start almost
immediately thereafter, will involve
more terminals and more truckers, according to the white paper.
Similar programs are either under
way or are being considered in
Dallas and in south Florida.
In a phone interview, Johnson
cautioned that the project today
only involves one trucker and one
terminal operator. Yet the overarching message, he said, is that the technology is available and, if the results
to date are any indication, workable.
“The key is that we are working
to use technology to improve the
situation. Without technology, we
will get nowhere,” Johnson said.
more flexibility. Under the program, all
international container terminals at the
ports established five additional weekly
“off-peak” shifts. As an incentive to use
the off-peak times, a Traffic Mitigation Fee
(TMF) was assessed on most cargo moving
during the peak hours of 3 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday through Friday. Executives representing West Coast ports said they would
like to see more evening hours. However,
they dismissed calls for a 24/7-type operation for truck traffic, arguing that wringing
more productivity out of each current shift
is a higher priority at this time.
HIGH-TECH TO THE RESCUE?
The good news for dray is that technology is being brought to bear on a segment that badly needs it. In mid-September, International Asset Systems (IAS), an
Oakland, Calif.-based information technology company, added a module to its
“ChassisManager” provisioning platform
allowing truckers and ocean carriers to
better manage so-called street-turns, where
containers and chassis can be swapped
between carriers or re-used for a new load,
in each case eliminating the need to return
empty equipment to the ports. According to
Blair Peterson, senior vice president, commercial for IAS, the module provides real-time visibility into when the equipment
changes hands so each party knows when
the costs and liability change. Peterson said
the module removes a major impediment
to the expansion of “street-turns,” which if
done properly reduce empty miles, lessen
port congestion and dray wait times, and
cut fuel costs and emissions.
Back in March, a public-private sector
partnership launched a pilot program in
Los Angeles designed to cut the amount of
time trucks spend waiting to get into terminal yards by allowing the drayage company and terminal operator to exchange
information in advance about a container’s
availability and a truck’s arrival.
The program, “Freight Advanced
Traveler Information System,” or
“FRATIS,” is funded by the Department of
Transportation and involves Port Logistics
Group (PLG), a Los Angeles drayage company, and Yusen Terminals, a unit of
Japanese liner company NYK Line. Under
the program, a container pickup order
