In an effort to streamline area traffic and efficiency at the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach, the Freight Advanced Traveler Information Program Demonstration Project, will go live on Wednesday.

This private and public collaborative effort funded by the U.S. DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration will be tested for the next six months.

The Los Angeles-Gateway Cities Region and the private sector formed this partnership with the joint goal of reducing traffic congestion during peak hours by improving the information flow between truck fleets and port terminals. Real-time information will allow drivers and schedulers to reroute and reschedule according to current conditions in the port and on freeways and arterial highways.

The Demonstration Project partners include The Harbor Trucking Association, Port Logistics Group, and Yusen Terminals, Inc. The system development team is led by Cambridge Systematics utilizing specialized optimization software.

“FRATIS will demonstrate dynamic travel planning and new communications for freight movement in this region,” says Michael J. Johnson, president of the Harbor Trucking Association and Port Logistics Group Director of Intermodal Operations. “By using Bluetooth proximity readers in and around the marine terminal in conjunction with dynamic routing, the system can communicate where congestion is to truckers and dispatchers. Using this information allows us to plan terminal visits in a way that can assist all parties in moving containers more efficiently.”

At the conclusion of the six months of testing, the U.S. DOT will publish the results of an independent assessment that is being conducted for the project.