I have gathered some of our newsletter readers’ opinions, statements, and thoughts about the West Coast Port Congestion situation.

We’d love to hear from you too!

How has the situation affected your shipping patterns?  What are your opinions about the situation?

 

The congestion has been a problem in our timely deliveries to customers to the point that a couple of our largest has threatened to go to domestic suppliers for their needs.

We have ordered extra product to be shipped by Air at a tremendous expense to keep them covered.

If these problems persist we may all loose business.

– High Quality Packaging Company 

 


I had a 20′ container scheduled to arrive into LA port between Jan. 5-10.  It docked at port on Jan. 14.

The container was not available for pick up until Jan. 22;  which results in our meeting delivery my customer delivery date of on Jan. 28 (right on time).

However, I now have a 40′ container scheduled to arrive between Feb. 4-10.  Drop dead delivery date to my customer (located in CO) is Feb. 18, and meeting this date is highly unlikely.

– Chemical Distribution Company


 

The West Coast congestion is such a prime demonstration of lack of communication and planning among the SS lines, terminals, trucking/rail  industry and dock union management.  To not plan for larger ships (that did not happen overnight), the change of chassis management, effects on truckers that have to wait 8-10 hrs to get a container—just to move to the rail and plans to slow the labor force due to lack of contract settlement is unforgivable. Where are the professions that can work together to make a business run vs. selfish single minded parties that do not see the full picture and US effect.

 

This mess is devastating to our business that sells imported garments to major retailers that we must hit their selling season or lose the orders.  When container are unloaded and stacked to the hilt in a terminal of offsite storage and not worked for a month but when we request a diversion to truck it in– then the terminals will not communicate with our freight forwarders to get the containers out.  What a way for this large section of our US business to mess up the US ecomony that are working hard to keep Americans employed.  If this continues, it will or already has forced business to close their doors if their orders (made specifically for retail stores) are cancelled and we cannot sell at a profit to others.  It only takes a few orders cancelled to put a company out of business.  Even if the containers arrive 2-4 weeks late and the retailers take the order—they assess high penalties to on the importer cutting the order’s profit to almost nothing.

This is where the gov’t needs to step in and realize that a solution needs to be worked on by all parties to get these operations back to norm—which is not going to happen overnight.

 – Garment Importer for Large Retailers

 


 

I think the west coast needs some competition.  Being in the Mid-west maybe my product could go through one of the Gulf Ports.

– Baseball Glove Distributor


 

Thank you for the updates.

This situation is like dealing with The Mafia… who on earth is allowing the two companies to decide on the outcome of thousands of companies whose livelihood depends on receiving their containers?

It is the most appalling situation for what a modern country is to be, and not a healthy one at that the economy has been is in disarray, and here we are  – labour work dictating to the public.

This is all wrong, very wrong.

What can we do to publicize to the politicians of California and the country, to stop this from happening?

Manipulation is abuse to others what can be done to stop the abusers??

Local Californian Freight Forwarder and Customs Broker