Technology familiar to rush-hour motorists may soon help accelerate containerized cargo flow through the Port of Oakland. The port reports it is testing sensors that measure how long harbor truckers wait to enter its marine terminals.
By Patrick Burnson
Published: August, 2015
Technology familiar to rush-hour motorists may soon help accelerate containerized cargo flow through the Port of Oakland. The port reports it is testing sensors that measure how long harbor truckers wait to enter its marine terminals.
Armed with wait times, drivers could avoid peak periods and shippers could collect cargo when terminals aren’t crowded. If the test proves successful, the technology may be deployed throughout the port.
“Our customers want to get in and out of the port with their cargo quickly,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “We think this technology can provide an important component of wait-time metrics to our port stakeholders.”
The port installed Bluetooth sensors last month along thoroughfares in the Outer Harbor area of the port. The readers will detect anonymous signals emitted from phones or other mobile devices in truck cabs. They’ll measure time between the first and last of each signal to calculate wait times into terminal yards.
It’s the same technology used along major freeways to calculate rush-hour commute times. On roads, overhead signboards tell motorists how long it takes to travel from, say, downtown Oakland to San Francisco. At the port, harbor truckers and cargo owners will get that information on cellphones or computers.
“This is proven technology for determining travel times and a cost effective approach for determining port drayage truck wait times,” said Taso Zografos of Reston, Virginia-based Leidos, the firm conducting the test. “If the test is successful, then it could be implemented portwide.”
The port said the technology will include cybersecurity measures such as network security, access control, audit and accountability to protect critical infrastructure.
The port added it may eventually use Bluetooth sensors for turn-time measurement within its terminals. Turn times refer to the amount of time it takes a driver to conduct transactions once inside terminal gates. Gate waits and turn times are critical metrics for truckers and cargo owners eager to avoid delays at ports.
The port said its Bluetooth pilot program will last several months. The pilot project is one of several steps the port is planning to accelerate cargo movement. Others include regular Saturday gate hours, a common chassis pool and off-site locations for container pickup. The programs are a response to growing cargo volumes testing the efficiency of all major West Coast ports.
Survey Finds Broad Public Support for the Port of Oakland
Port of Oakland neighbors strongly believe that the port has a significant positive impact on jobs, the local economy and surrounding communities. Those are the key findings of survey results released today by an Oakland polling firm.
“Our results show that for two years in a row, residents view the Port of Oakland as having a positive impact on its neighboring communities,” said Dave Metz of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, the firm that conducted the port’s community satisfaction survey.
The second annual survey—conducted in May—indicated growing public recognition of the port’s role as an East Bay economic engine. Eighty-four percent of those surveyed said the port is highly important for the region’s economy. That was up two percent from a year ago. Sixty-five percent said that the port has a positive impact on surrounding communities, up one percent from last year.
“East Bay residents clearly understand that the port benefits its surrounding communities,” said Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle.
More than 1,100 registered voters in Alameda and Contra Costa counties took part in the phone survey. Here’s what they had to say about the Port of Oakland’s three business lines: Oakland International Airport, the Port of Oakland seaport, and commercial real estate including Jack London Square:
• 86 percent have a favorable impression of Oakland International Airport;
• 76 percent view Jack London Square favorably; and
• 74 percent view the port as one of the busiest seaports in the United States.
While only 22 percent of East Bay residents consider themselves knowledgeable about the Port of Oakland, those polled broadly agree in the benefits that the port provides:
• 80 percent believe that the Port of Oakland is the entry point for most consumer goods sold in the East Bay;
• 74 percent believe that the Port of Oakland is a major source of jobs for local residents; and
• 71 percent say that the port generates hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue each year.
A majority of those surveyed expressed concern about air quality near the port. Fifty-nine percent said the port is a major source of air pollution.
However, the port pointed out in a news release that a 2008 study found that the port contributes just 16 percent of the diesel pollution in the area. Furthermore, the port noted that between 2005 and 2012, it reduced its diesel pollution by 70 percent. That’s 15 percent away from the port’s adopted goal of 85 percent diesel pollution reduction by 2020.
“While the Port of Oakland has made very significant strides in air quality, we recognize that there’s still a lot more work to be done,” said Port of Oakland Director of Environmental Programs and Planning Richard Sinkoff.
Patrick Burnson is the past president and current board member of the Pacific Transportation Association, based in San Francisco. www.pacifictrans.org
