Truck drivers in Southern California who complained about unfair charges for extended storage and late return of equipment due to congestion at the port should expect to have answers from the Uniform Intermodal Interchange Agreement in the next two weeks.
Truck Driver Dispute Charges Caused By Congestion
As of March 30, the Intermodal Association of North America had received 77 complaints from truck drivers regarding demurrage and detention charges.
Experts say that the congestion causing problems at the ports is a direct result of shippers outsourcing the management of trucks that carry their freight. The supply chain transition has not gone smoothly. Larger ships carrying more goods are speaking cargo across more terminals, causing logistics nightmares that many experts say will take a long time to resolve.
Angry Truck Drivers Want All Charges Dismissed
The American Trucking Association accuses ocean carriers of trying to create a revenue stream from truck drivers and says that the amounts collected from these extended storage and late return charges add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The California truckers are so frustrated by their experiences at the port that they have asked the UIIA to wipe out all of the demurrage and per-diem charges.