Fee Looms to Promote Off-Peak Cargo Movement at Congested Calif. Ports

Terminal operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will impose a "traffic mitigation fee” to promote the movement of containers during off-peak hours in hopes of easing congestion. The fee was announced Wednesday by the West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement, a group of 12 container terminals in the region, and will be in effect Dec. 1 to Jan. 31. The fee is “subject to regulatory clearance” by the Federal Maritime Commission, said the group: “The action is part of an overall effort to expand the use of warehouses, distribution centers, and trucking during the second and third shifts for the final push of holiday goods in December and into January leading to Lunar New Year.”