Western Railroad Discussion > Transloads LA-LB 2013

As per Journal of Commerce February 17, 2014 the transloading of import cargo from marine containers to domestic containers in Sothern California increased sharply in 2013.

According to data provided by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority and compiled by TTX, the transloading of marine containers to domestic containers accounted for 47.7 percent of all shipments that moved by rail from Los Angeles-Long Beach in 2013. That was up from 44.4 percent in 2012 and 33.2 percent in 2006.

This high per cent of transloading of containers was not in the plans to pay for the Alameda Corridor which receives revenue on each container traversing the Alameda Corridor. ( my opinion)

FYI
Dale Smith

I have been told repeatedly that some clause in the longshoremen's labor agreement requires a penalty payment or the use of longshoremen to unload any container to be transloaded with 30 miles of the LA - Long Beach ports. That is quoted as the reason for the incredible number of new warehouses located outside the 30 mile limit beginning about Ontario and extending all the way to Redlands. To avoid the payment, the containers are simply trucked from the ports to the warehouses where the merchandise is handled and reloaded into 53 foot containers for shipment by rail across the US. That would also explain why the BNSF intermodal yard at San Bernardino has so much business. It might also explain why the Alameda Corridor folks are so concerned since trucked containers do not pay for the corridor.

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar

The thirty mile restriction only applies to parties to the ILWU Labor Contract--for example Maersk had a Container Transfer facility in Compton and it was manned by ILWU labor but if Pacer or JB Hunt wanted to establish a transfer station they could do so without penalty and use what labor they so choose.

The main reason of the growth in the Inland Empire warehouses was the lease cost were much lower and warehouses were built to the tennant's specifications which included land for parking containers and trailers which is difficult to find in the LA/LGB harbor areas.

Dale Smith