PierPass, the system used by the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to mitigate truck congestion at the ports, will change next month. An appointment-based system with a single flat fee for daytime and nighttime container moves will replace PierPass, and the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) previously assessed only on daytime moves. Beginning November 19, appointments will be made through the terminals’ appointment systems. The appointment window will be two hours, and the last appointment of the day will be 3:30 PM for the first shift and 1:30 AM on the second shift.
Port users have been pushing for a “Pier Pass 2.0” to increase flexibility and decrease congestion that often occurs before off-peak shift hours. The TMF will change from $72.09 per TEU to $31.52 for a TEU and $63.04 for all other sizes. Cargo moving at all hours and all days will be subject to the new flat fee; whereas, the TMF is currently charged during peak weekday daytime hours.
Some container types and moves are exempt from the TMF. Exemptions include empty containers, intermodal rail containers, containers arriving in one vessel and transloaded to another without entering US commerce, domestic cargo, and bare chassis.
Additional information can be found on the PierPass website. Customers can also reach out to the service center handling their shipments with any questions.