August 28, 2004

In July, 98 percent of non-rail import containers at Hanjin Shipping's Pier T Long Beach Container Terminal, operated by Total Terminals International (TTI), were picked up by truckers making appointments using the Premier Appointment System TM (PAS), a fully integrated software enhancement of industry-leading Web site VoyagerTrack® and the most utilized appointment system in the North America.

July's figures demonstrated a 61 percent increase in the PAS usage from May and a 13 percent increase from June. VoyagerTrack's Web site now averages more than one hit a second, when equated to business hours, and recently reached new highs of more than 80,000 per week for an individual terminal. Since its initial 1997 deployment, the site has consistently recorded dramatically increased usage, with 2004 running 55 percent higher than 2003, which was 94 percent higher than 2002 usage.

Steve Longbotham, MTC vice president - customer technology, attributes part of the tremendous response to the value users experience from the system's ease of use, aid in handling issues quickly and increased predictability of terminal activity levels.

According to Longbotham there is an enormous amount of increased information available to all parties as the PAS is monitored around the clock. Trucking companies can see the number of available appointments corresponding to their containers' position in the yard and can sequence their total container picks ups accordingly. One such trucking customer is AA Transport, Inc., located in Gardena, Calif.

"VoyagerTrack's PAS system speeds up our business," said Marcella Alcala, customer service and dispatch for AA Transport. "Drivers are getting through the terminal faster, without having to go to the trouble window. We can check availability before going to pick up the containers. We don't have to waste time being on hold to check it. If there is a problem, VoyagerTrack e-mails us the problem ticket so we don't have to call to get the ticket number and find out what is wrong. We can start taking care of the problem immediately."

At the TTI Hanjin terminal in Long Beach, where an average of two-thirds of appointments are made the previous day, the terminal can assist the day operation by selectively pre-mounting containers from heavily scheduled areas at night, thereby increasing the dayside capacity. The facility currently runs weekly "hoot" third shifts, opening the gates at 2 a.m. on the flex plan, with the transtainers beginning operations at 3 a.m. The day shift starts at 7 a.m. on the flex option, which creates a shift change at 7:30 a.m. TTI has a full-service Saturday gate. Sunday gates are available per steamship lines' request.

"Appointments allow us to pre-mount containers for truckers using the PAS enhancement. This combination of services has resulted in a 40 percent drop in overall turn time on decked import loads from April, when the appointment system was not being utilized as it was designed," TTI Terminal Manager Mark Milburn said. "By matching available appointments more exactly to transtainer productivity, we are ensuring those with appointments are serviced appropriately. In the coming months, we will focus on export containers and in-gate empties to further reduce trucker turn times. Receiving advanced appointments for these container moves will allow TTI to order proper staffing to enable a dramatic reduction in turn times and delays, currently being experienced throughout the waterfront."

Logistics 2000 of Carson, Calif., uses the PAS at three Southern California container terminals.

"We use VoyagerTrack's Premier Appointment System for picking up Yang Ming, Evergreen, China Shipping, Hanjin and Lloyd Triestino containers," Traffic Manager Rony Velasquez told us. "I make appointments 99 percent of the time. PAS is the best appointment system. I would rather use PAS than other systems, like eModal. PAS is faster and more accurate. I really like the ability to make the appointment as close as a half-hour in advance. This important ability saves time. My drivers can return an empty and then pick up a full on the same trip and not waste momentum."

Velasquez said he likes the flexibility and expanded options to customize VoyagerTrack's Event Notification feature. He said he can customize his notification reports by attaching to each container number the customer name, destination, and other particulars as references so when he receives the e-mail notification, "it tells a lot about where the container is going."

VoyagerTrack was developed by Embarcadero Systems Corp. under the direction of Marine Terminals Corp. The PAS software enhancement was deployed by MTC in conjunction with three of its joint-venture partners operating in the Port of Long Beach (Total Terminals Int'l-TTI); the Port of Los Angeles (Seaside Transportation Services-STS and West Basin Container Terminal-WBCT); and the Port of Oakland (TTI and STS), and its software provider ESC.

PAS went live in compliance with The Lowenthal Law, the California truck-idling law that fines terminal operators for any truck made to wait in line longer than 30 minutes. However, avoidance of possible truck-idling fines played only a minor role in the creation of PAS. Total Terminals, Long Beach, elected to implement the appointment system even though its terminal did not need relief from the possible fines because it qualifies for the extended-hours exemption (70 hours a week in So. Calif.).

Terminals and associated shipping lines currently using the PAS are Ben E. Nutter Container Terminal-Oakland (Evergreen, Wan Hai. Lloyd Triestino, Hatsu Marine); Total Terminals Int'l-Oakland (Hanjin Shipping, Yang Ming, Sinotrans); Seaside Transportation Services-Los Angeles (Evergreen, Lloyd Triestino, Hatsu Marine; Total Terminals International - Long Beach (Hanjin Shipping, Sinotrans); and West Basin Container Terminal, Los Angeles (China Shipping, Wan Hai, Yang Ming); and, through vessel sharing agreements with the above-mentioned carriers, CMA-CGM, COSCO, K Line and Zim.

Longbotham believes PAS is the only appointment system on the West Coast that allows appointments to be made by either a Web site or a touch-tone telephone Voice Response Unit (VRU). For those without Internet access or preferring to use the telephone, there is VoyagerVoiceTM. This VRU system requires only a touch-tone phone to make inquiries about import containers, export bookings and requests for Event Notification. Those interested in VoyagerVoice may call 888-744-7682 or go to www.voyagertrack.com for a listing of individual facility VRU telephone numbers. A current listing of all available VoyagerTrack Web sites can be obtained at www.voyagertrack.com or via www.mtcorp.com by going to the "Container Tracking" drop-down menu on the left side.

Back To News Releases