ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

Container pick-up turn times for drayage operators at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are improving due to additional gate openings, increased staff and flex lunch hour shifts, motor carriers and terminal operators said Monday. 

Intermodal projects continue to march forward on the state level as two Norfolk Southern Corp. projects are advancing and a new intermodal terminal has opened in North Dakota.

Intermodal freight continued to surge during August, topping pre-recession levels and reaching the highest point this year, driven by a combination of domestic and international growth, experts said.

Trailer manufacturers say they are having problems finding enough tires to meet the surge in equipment orders, forcing them to take stiff price increases and offer customers less familiar tire brands.

The Port of Los Angeles said it would delay enforcement of a ban on independent drayage operators despite a federal judge’s ruling upholding the legality of that ban as part of the port’s controversial clean-trucks plan.