Lessons from an early mover

Delays of trucks at terminals are a concern in all large ports. The common feature is the peak arrival of truck (usually in the morning) combined with limited handling capacity. The resulting congestion is costly, for truckers and ultimately end-users, and has negative environmental effects.

None of the actors can solve the truck handling congestion problems by acting in silo; instead ‘collective action’ is required.

Paradoxically, one of the ports where the most effort has been put in developing collective systems is now confronted with a strike with very serious negative effects for its users. Vancouver was one of the early ports to develop a voluntary truck appointment system, and later mandated the use this system, as a condition for truckers to obtain a license. Furthermore, an incentive system was developed for truckers and terminal operators to adhere to the planning. A transparent system of performance measurement of the truck handling was developed in tandem.

Currently, the port is investing in mandatory tracking of port trucks using GPS transponders that are provided by Port Metro Vancouver at no cost to the truck owner.

As an outsider, without deep insights in this specific case, I would argue two conclusions can be drawn from their experiences. First, efforts to secure the commitment of terminal operators to improve truck handling, either through incentives or through concession clauses, are central. It is surprising that the terminals are open only about eight hours per day, and have lunch breaks during which the service to truckers decreases. No port authority initiative can (or should perhaps even try) to migitate for that.

Second, licensing as ‘solution space’ is attractive from a planning and operations perspective, but may have unwelcome consequences in that it may institutionalise ‘licensed truckers’ and create a platform for advocating their interests. There is nothing wrong with that, but the licenses may lead to complicated conversations.

One item in the Metro Port Authority’s 14-point action plan to end the strike says it will consult with the truckers, among others, to improve “control over the total number of licensed trucks to avoid a surplus and support the goals of this action plan”.

However, negative experiences from other transport industries, for example with taxis, in constraining the number of licenses suggest caution is due.