Intermodal Briefs: Port of Los Angeles, East Coast Ports, IANA, TRAC Intermodal

Port of Los Angeles

The Port of Los Angeles recently announced that it handled a near-record of 960,597 TEUs in August, a 16% increase over the previous year, marking the busiest non-pandemic month ever at the Port.

Eight months into 2024, the Port of Los Angeles says it is 17% ahead of its 2023 pace, already moving nearly one million more containers than last year. 

August 2024 loaded imports landed at 509,363 TEUs, an 18% increase compared to the previous year. Loaded exports came in at 121,744 TEUs, a slight drop of 3% compared to 2023. The Port processed 329,491 empty containers, a 22% jump compared to 2023.

Overall, the Port has moved 6,631,688 TEUs the first eight months of 2024, a 17% increase over the 2023 mark.

“The American consumer continues to spend and that’s helping to power our economy,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said at a media briefing. “Some of the cargo arriving now is replenishing inventories even beyond the year-end holiday season. Combined with a steady flow of manufacturing parts and components, we should continue to see elevated volume in the near term. 

“It’s been a very busy summer on our docks and I’m thankful to all of our dedicated waterfront workers and terminal operators for their commitment for handling this level of volume safely and efficiently through America’s Port,” Seroka added. 

George Goldman, the President and CEO of the North America division of CMA CGM, a global leader in ocean shipping, logistics and terminal operations, joined Seroka at the briefing. Goldman discussed the factors behind the recent surge of volume and U.S. ports and what to expect in the coming months.

Current and historical cargo data, including fiscal year-end totals, are available here.

East Coast Ports

U.S. President Joe Biden “does not intend to invoke a federal law to prevent a port strike on the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico if dockworkers fail to secure a new labor contract by an Oct. 1 deadline,” an administration official said on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report.

According to the report, the International Longshoremen’s Association, negotiating on behalf of workers at three dozen U.S. ports from Maine to Texas that handle about half of the nation’s ocean imports, “warned again on Tuesday that its members are prepared to stop work in two weeks.”

The association’s current six-year agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), which includes employers such as Maersk’s APM Terminals and SSA Marine, expires on Sept. 30, according to the Reuters report.

According to the report, U.S. presidents can intervene in labor disputes that “threaten national security or safety by imposing an 80-day cooling-off period under the federal Taft-Hartley Act, forcing workers back on the job while negotiations continue.”

“We’ve never invoked Taft-Hartley to break a strike and are not considering doing so now,” the Biden administration official told Reuters.

“We encourage all parties to remain at the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.”

IANA

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, took the number one spot at IANA’s 2024 Intermodal Case Study Competition. It was their first participation in the event.  

The students representing the university included Jaren Bussell, Elizabeth Shuler, Brock Sooley and Kathryn Whittaker. This year’s case, “Coronado Cartage Company,” addressed the issues of attracting new drivers to the intermodal industry and how a hypothetical motor carrier could navigate the decision to choose an owner-operator or company driver business model. 

In addition to UT, IANA’s other competing scholarship schools included the California State Maritime Academy, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern University, SUNY Maritime, as well as the Universities of Arkansas, Maryland, North Florida, North Texas and Wisconsin at Superior. IANA’s scholarship awards support curriculum designed to attract students to intermodal transportation and related careers.  

“It is exciting to see what the students can achieve in five hours. Each team reads, analyzes and prepares a presentation with no faculty input,” said UT Associate Professor of Practice – Supply Chain Dr. Donald Maier. “We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this year’s trophy back to Rocky Top.”

“IANA’s case competition, held during the Intermodal EXPO, brings together our ten undergraduate Scholarship schools.  This year, we welcomed the University of Tennessee as a new IANA Scholarship Program participant,” said IANA President and CEO Joni Casey. “The case that was tackled by the student teams reflected a business challenge being faced by intermodal trucking companies, and I applaud the work of all the participants.” 

Since the Scholarship Program’s inception in 2007, IANA says it has awarded more than $5.3 million to support students in university programs focused on freight and intermodal transportation. The Program funds tuition, student research projects on intermodal issues and curriculum development.

TRAC Intermodal

The Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers has named TRAC Intermodal as the Best Overall Chassis Provider in PANYNJ.

Bi-State Chairman Tom Heimgartner presented the award to Jake Gilene, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at TRAC and Jason Marucci, Regional Sales Manager at TRAC at Bi-State’s 2024 Golf Outing and Awards Luncheon, which took place on Sept. 16 at Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, N.J.

This year marks the fifth time in the last nine years that TRAC has been recognized by Bi-State as the Best Overall Chassis Provider in PANYNJ, according to the company.

“The Port of NY & NJ has experienced significant growth over the past five years and that growth inevitably brings a number of challenges,” said Bi-State President Lisa Yakomin. “The team at TRAC Intermodal consistently provided the intermodal trucking community with excellent customer service and reliable, quality equipment over the past year, and deserves to be recognized for their efforts in this highly competitive market.”

TRAC Intermodal has invested more than $1 billion over the last decade in fleet modernization. Despite the market reset in 2023, TRAC says it “continues to accelerate investment in its chassis fleet.” The company has added tens of thousands of new chassis, refurbished existing equipment, and innovated its offerings to support customers. This investment, the company says, helps TRAC “ensure asset availability when market demand returns.”

According to TRAC, the company’s Metro Pool is the largest intermodal chassis pool in the mid-Atlantic region, with more than 17,000 chassis supporting the market. The company’s footprint covers marine terminals at PANYNJ, Philadelphia, Baltimore and western New York State.

Nearly two-thirds of the Metro Pool fleet has been upgraded to new and BlueEdge chassis, featuring LED lights, OEM tires and other high-quality components. TRAC says it continues to add premium quality equipment to the Metro Pool, making its fleet “one of the most current and reliable in the region.”

“We are honored to be recognized again by the Association of Bi-State Motor Carriers for this award,” said TRAC Intermodal President and CEO Daniel Walsh. “This recognition underscores our commitment to giving our customers the solutions they need when they need them. The highest quality equipment, superior performance and an unmatched safety record are hallmarks of TRAC’s business.”