The Federal Maritime Commission’s report of its findings regarding US Port Congestion is a compilation of various regional forums the FMC held last fall in the midst of the “West Coast Port Slowdown” which every importer and port trucker is still well aware of.  The report is quite lengthy and includes a great deal of input from a great number of interested parties.

One of the key aspects of the report that we found interesting is the fact that the FMC is now considering the establishment of an “Advisory Committee which would be led by industry executives who would work with the commission and its staff to develop the council’s activities and initiatives.”

While this sounds like a good idea, why doesn’t the FMC speak with the industry executives who are in and have been in the trenches of these congestion issues for years?  Who are these industry executives?  They are the importers and truckers that have lost tens of millions of dollars over the past several years because of port congestion issues around the country.  Perhaps it’s because the importers and truckers haven’t taken the initiative to band together with a grass roots effort to let the FMC know what they have been experiencing for years without any resolution in sight.

As happens often with government agencies, the creation of another committee in our estimation will only further delay action on real solutions.

Read the original story here:
http://www.americanshipper.com/Main/ASD/NEWS_FLASH_FMC_releases_report_on_US_port_congesti_60856.aspx