America News: California ports mandate TruckTags by December 1st

Sharon

Sharon Gill

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26th September 2007

PierPASS has announced that trucks will need to be equipped with TruckTags in order to gain access to the container terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, beginning December 1, 2007.

Trucks without TruckTags will be processed through exception handling, which may include being denied access or processing via a trouble ticket.

The TruckTag program is a proactive effort by marine terminal operators in Los Angeles and Long Beach to meet US Dept of Homeland Security and US Coast Guard guidelines requiring marine terminals to enhance their security measures.

TruckTag uses RFID technology to meet these heightened security requirements without hindering the efficient flow of cargo through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

Together, the two adjacent ports handle more than 40% of the nation’s total import traffic and 24% of its total exports. On average, there are more than 180,000 truck deliveries per week to and from the marine terminals.

Similar to E-ZPass and FasTrak automated systems, RFID tags installed on the truck’s rearview mirror are automatically scanned at marine terminal gate entrances to validate the security clearance of the vehicle. Tag readers have been installed at most PierPASS member terminals in the two ports, and the aim is to have all gates equipped with tag readers by December.

PierPASS has distributed more than 16,000 tags to date, and in the next few weeks will process requests for about 1,000 more. To-date, 70% of those tags have been registered and activated.