FMC Advisory Panel Evaluates Drayage Operations at Coastal Terminals

The National Shipper Advisory committee is eager to hear from truckers and port terminals about their experiences navigating operations within ports. During a recent meeting held on March 5th,Debb Minskey from Ikea Group emphasized this need for input.

This initiative aims to tackle container throughput issues by focusing on three main areas: early return dates for containers, processes surrounding empty container returns, and overall container availability.

Kicking off with the Northwest Seaport Alliance as their starting point, the Port Best Practices Subcommittee has put together a dedicated task group. Their goal? To dissect and understand what happens inside port terminals better. they’re looking to brainstorm ideas that coudl enhance gateway performance and efficiency.Ultimately, they hope these concepts will be reviewed by stakeholders for possible implementation based on discussions highlighted in their meeting slides.

While there’s no set timeline just yet for what comes next, Minskey mentioned that they plan to hold meetings monthly or bi-monthly moving forward. The pace of progress will largely depend on how much feedback they receive from participants. So far they’ve gathered insights from shippers—often referred to as beneficial cargo owners (BCOs)—and are now gearing up to engage marine terminals and truckers alike.

“Our primary aim is advancement,” stated Minskey regarding efforts focused initially around the Northwest seaport Alliance. “We genuinely hope our findings can benefit other terminals down the line too.”