Dozens of truck drivers protested on Monday at the Port of New Orleans, claiming that they are sick of being forced to transport damaged goods from overseas.
The drivers say that they are required to take the damaged boxes from the unloading zone to a separate location for inspection and then onto a third location for storage. The drivers are not paid for the time they spend transporting the damaged goods from one area to another. They say that this process, combined with long lines at the port, can take several hours — and since time is money — that they are losing $200 to $300 per day.
Drivers met with port authorities last week, but they were told that if they did not comply with the damaged goods policy, they could not enter the port.
Port officials say that they understand why the drivers are frustrated, but that they have invested $40 million in terminal infrastructure to increase efficiency.