PierPASS Inc. announced heavy usage during the first two weeks of the OffPeak program, which established night and Saturday shifts at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to relieve congestion in and around the two Southern California ports.

Prior to OffPeak's launch on July 23, PierPASS had set a goal of moving 15% to 20% of cargo during OffPeak shifts after the first 12 months of operation. But during the first two weeks of the program, OffPeak shifts were typically handling nearly 30% of daily cargo traffic, resulting in a noticeable reduction in congestion during peak traffic times on freeways leading to the ports, and relieving congestion inside the terminals. More than 88,000 truck trips were shifted out of peak-hour traffic during the program's first two weeks.
"The goods movement industry has pulled together to tackle congestion problems in our nation's busiest port complex," said PierPASS Inc. President and CEO Bruce Wargo. "The industry has truly turned on a dime, showing tremendous flexibility in embracing this program to use our existing infrastructure more efficiently."
Under the OffPeak program, all international container terminals in the two ports have established five new shifts per week (Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
As an incentive to use the new OffPeak shifts, a Traffic Mitigation Fee is now required for most cargo movement during peak hours (Monday through Friday, 3 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
There have been no significant labor issues during the first two weeks of the program. "Thousands of truck drivers have turned out to move cargo during each OffPeak shift, and we have had good support from the workforce of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union," Wargo said.