Docks los angeles ca

Cargo Operations Dashboard Get a snapshot of the Port's current operational status, including vessels in port and at anchor, container terminal gate hours and real-time cargo-tracking data tools the Signal, Return Signal and Control Tower. Learn More. Committed to public access, Port development and construction projects continue on the LA Waterfront. Visit LA Waterfront Website. PortofLA on Twitter. Tweets by PortofLA.

Twitter Feed. The surge has put increasing pressure on the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, already the largest in the US and the ninth largest in the world. With the peak shipping period getting under way as the holiday shopping season approaches, in recent weeks the ports have been setting new records for ships in port almost daily. Traffic has been rising since last summer amid a pandemic-induced buying boom that created a backlog at both ports and overwhelmed the workforce, some of whom were themselves recovering from Covid.

The pandemic has battered the global supply chain, offloading the surging demand on to suppliers and leading to shortages of goods and containers and increasing costs for consumers.

The ports have broken monthly cargo records regularly since last summer. There's not much else for them to do. It's a waiting game. The craziest part is that despite all the logistical challenges and logjam, it's not going to stop — and that's because there's still plenty of money to be made.

Since the pandemic, more people have shopped online than ever before, increasing the number of shipments coming into our ports. Retailers are encouraging consumers to shop early to ensure their gifts arrive in time for Christmas, causing a public frenzy and onslaught of online orders.

As long as manufacturers continue to pay warehouses to ship their products, it's business as usual for them. The warehouses will then continue contracting with shipping companies to ship their containers out, and the ports won't turn ships away because they make all their money in docking fees and unloading containers.

All of this has affected the delicate balance of the supply chain: Warehouses are bursting at the seams, shipping containers are in excess demand, chassis are running out, equipment is being run ragged, waterways and railways are overwhelmed, trucks and truckers are maxed out, and our yard and ports are overflowing as a result. There's also been a lot of talk about the port being closed on weekends, but it's only closed to truckers on Saturdays and Sundays in an effort to manage traffic.

The ports are open on weekends and we are here sorting, unloading, and loading cargo, but there's not a lot of room in the yard because of the staggering amount of shipments we're dealing with.

Those of us with our boots on the ground have zero say in what goes on around here. We just keep cranking away; we haven't stopped. As Casuals, we never know what our actual job is until we arrive for a shift and get assigned our tasks. The work ranges from boring and repetitive, like driving a utility tractor rig around all day — known amongst the dock workers as the Shake and Bake , because the truck is shaky and has no air conditioning — to activities like lashing containers on the ships, which, while an extremely strenuous activity, makes the shift fly by.

I'll take that over monotonous work any day of the week. The surge in cargo hasn't affected our day-to-day as far as how we work, but there's way more traffic in the yard now, and more containers are being stacked in places I've never seen them stacked before. The last time I saw a backlog close to what we're experiencing now was in , when the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents dock workers, and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents all the shipping companies, were embroiled in lengthy contract negotiations, which resulted in work slowdowns and stoppages.

Trucks carrying cargo from the overloaded port of LA are backing up on their street. Area warehouses are full and there's nowhere else to take them. The lot is now so overcrowded, they're stacking containers on top of each other.

On Tuesday, one of the trucks lost its load while trying to make a turn onto MacFarland, crushing a parked car on East Anaheim Street.

Fortunately nobody was hurt. The owner of the trucking company says he's trying to work with neighbors and even hired a guy to direct traffic. A spokesperson for the Port says they're moving cargo as quickly as they can, but on Tuesday there were still 62 container ships sitting offshore at the ports of LA.