As part of our initiative to reduce the number of transaction problems experienced when trucks pick up or deliver containers at the marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, PierPass has been surveying terminal operators to determine the most common causes of trouble tickets.
In this month’s example, Bill Peratt and Doug Hansen from Yusen Terminal Inc. (YTI) present their terminal’s experience for the months of November and December of 2012 and January of 2013. As with other terminals, a large percentage of trouble tickets could be avoided by checking the terminal’s web site or phone system before sending a driver to the terminal.
Although most trouble tickets can be avoided, it is important to understand that some containers such as hazardous, over dimensional and reefer containers will be issued a trouble ticket in order to have terminal staff review important paperwork, confirm reefer settings and confirm dimensions for terminal and vessel operations.
Bruce Wargo
President & CEO
PierPass, Inc.
YTI INC. LOS ANGELES TROUBLE TICKET ANALYSIS
Over the past three months as many as 8.25% of truckers attempting to enter YTI have been issued Drivers Assistance or “Trouble” tickets. The most common causes of trouble tickets included unavailability of import containers and booking number issues for export containers. Trouble tickets for both situations can be avoided by checking the terminal’s online container and booking number availability programs before sending a truck.
Another significant cause was import containers located in areas of the container yard that are closed due to vessel loading or unloading. As these partial yard closures are very dynamic, YTI suggests dispatchers check the YTI website shortly before sending a truck.
Trouble Ticket Analysis
The last three months show the following totals for trucker activity:
| Month | Total Passes Issued | Total Trouble Tickets | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2012 | 40,919 | 2,925 | 7.1% |
| Dec 2012 | 40,161 | 3,315 | 8.25% |
| Jan 2013 | 48,285 | 3,304 | 6.84% |
.
The top 8 categories for the past three months are listed below:
| Trouble Ticket Category | November 2012 | December 2012 | January 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking error/number/equipment/TMF Hold | 866 | 861 | 728 |
| Closed Area of Yard | 690 | 880 | 951 |
| Line Empty not Allowed | 499 | 363 | 195 |
| Bad Container Number | 158 | 217 | 229 |
| Container on Customs/Freight/Terminal Hold | 141 | 221 | 259 |
| Trucker Not Authorized for Line | 96 | 92 | 100 |
| Container has Already Been Delivered | 96 | 92 | 100 |
| Free Time Has Expired | 19 | 72 | 75 |
| Total for Month | 2205 | 2760 | 2611 |
.
Percentages for the top 8 categories in each month are presented:
The best way for truckers to turn around quickly is to avoid trouble tickets. Here is how you and your dispatchers can avoid these costly delays and help improve the overall experience when picking up or delivering a container to YTI.
YTI and its Steamship Line partners have made available several online resources for the trucking community. The YTI website, www.yti.com has complete information on import container availability and hold status. Steamship Line sites present all necessary booking information.
For a live view of the in and out gates as well as the chassis yard at YTI, please also visit our website, www.yti.com to find “Terminal Cameras” on the bottom right hand side of our home page. This view will allow you to see what a driver can expect on arrival. Please note that the gates are generally underutilized in the first half of the day.
To be sure that you and your dispatchers have the most up to date scheduling information about YTI’s gates and yard areas, please refer to the YTI website homepage or the eModal website at www.emodal.com.