California Terminals to Restart Fee Incentive Program

Terminal operators at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports will again adjust their traffic mitigation fee this month to help incentivize the movement of containers during off-peak hours. The fee -- originally announced in November by the West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (see 2111120022) -- had returned to normal levels Feb. 1 (see 2201180043), but the Biden administration asked the WCMTOA on Jan. 21 to continue the fee program, the terminals announced Feb. 1. The fee, which is scheduled to take effect again Feb. 14, will change to $78.23 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) and will be charged only on weekdays during the daytime shift. The Biden administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force hopes the fee adjustment incentivizes “more truck trips to the off-peak shifts.”