Port Outage Ends, But Fleet Fees Loom as HOS Relief Continues

Port scheduling outage ‘resolved,’ but fleets could face fees as HOS relief extends

A two-day outage affecting the eModal appointment system at TraPac terminals in Oakland and the Los Angeles area disrupted container haulers and raised concerns about demurrage charges for freight that could not be moved on schedule.

TraPac’s operations team at the Port of Oakland said in an advisory that the outage had been resolved roughly midday Wednesday, Sept. 9. The company instructed eModal users to log out of the system, log back in and then secure import delivery appointments.

However, the recovery did not immediately eliminate the backlog. Bill Aboudi, owner of Oakland-based AB Trucking, said appointments at TraPac remained inaccessible throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.

“We’ve lost two days. Now it’s going to be really jammed up,” Aboudi said, describing the expected rush as container haulers tried to catch up after the system came back online.

Aboudi said the outage also affected TraPac’s Los Angeles-area terminal. The interruption followed the Labor Day holiday, further reducing the time available for carriers to retrieve and deliver containers.

The scheduling problem also created uncertainty over demurrage, the fees assessed when containers remain at a terminal beyond the allowed free time. Aboudi said shipping lines typically provide about two free days for refrigerated containers and four days for dry containers, but he had not received clear confirmation that those periods would be adjusted to account for the outage.

“The ship lines need to adjust their demurrage days,” he said.

He cited one customer that could accept only two containers per day. Six containers remained backlogged at the Oakland terminal shortly after appointments became available again, making it difficult for the fleet to clear the accumulated work quickly.

Aboudi suspected that an eModal update over the long weekend may have contributed to the outage, although TraPac representatives did not respond to questions in time for the report. He noted that other terminals have bypassed appointment-system problems by using manual processes, but said the TraPac appointments remained unavailable for too long to avoid significant disruption.

The incident illustrates how a scheduling-system failure can affect drivers and small fleets beyond a missed appointment. When a terminal requires appointments but the system is unavailable, carriers may still face waiting time, rescheduling challenges and potential charges even though the delay is outside their control.

Oregon wildfire HOS relief extended

Motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance with wildfire suppression in Oregon have received another extension of hours-of-service relief from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The extension, requested by Oregon on Sept. 2, remains in effect through Oct. 11 or until the emergency ends, whichever comes first. FMCSA said active wildfires and emergency conditions had not abated.

The waiver provides relief from the maximum driving-time requirements in 49 CFR Section 395.3 for property-carrying vehicles. It applies regardless of where a qualifying trip begins, as long as the carrier or driver is providing direct assistance to the Oregon wildfire emergency.

Eligible operations can include transportation directly connected to wildfire suppression and emergency response. The relief does not cover long-term rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure after the immediate threat to life and property has passed. It also excludes routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads containing only a nominal amount of emergency-related freight to claim the benefit of the waiver.

The Oregon relief has been extended several times since the original emergency declaration in mid-June, with previous extensions issued June 26, July 13 and Aug. 11. Drivers and carriers remain responsible for determining whether their operations meet the definition of direct assistance.

FMCSA, New York agencies place 20 trucks and 23 drivers out of service

FMCSA inspectors recently joined the New York State Department of Transportation and New York State Police for a targeted commercial vehicle enforcement effort along Interstate 81.

Officials inspected 363 commercial vehicles during the operation. Twenty trucks and 23 drivers were placed out of service, according to FMCSA.

The agency did not provide a breakdown of the violations identified during the inspections. FMCSA said the effort was intended to remove unsafe drivers and vehicles from the road and reduce risks to commercial and passenger traffic.

Massachusetts carrier fined $33,000 after diesel spill

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection assessed a $33,000 penalty against Keystone Transportation Inc. after an accident and diesel fuel spill on Route 56 in Leicester.

According to MassDEP, the company did not complete required follow-up actions after a company vehicle released diesel fuel. The agency said that, following an initial spill assessment and cleanup, Keystone was required to hire a licensed site professional and complete any additional assessment or cleanup that was needed.

In addition to paying the penalty, Keystone was ordered to hire the licensed professional and submit the required documentation to MassDEP. The agency said emergency state-funded cleanup can be used to limit the spread of oil or hazardous material, but that does not eliminate the responsible party’s obligation to complete further assessment and remediation.