Members Chosen for Group That Will Address Port Gridlock
The Port Performance Working Group will be charged with establishing and compiling statistical metrics for how much cargo arrives and leaves ports across the country.
More than 30 people were named June 15 to serve on the group, including government officials and representatives from labor and industry.
Curtis Whalen, executive director of American Trucking Associations' Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference, will represent the trucking industry. Darrell Ruban, field administrator at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also will serve on the group.
Four members from the top 25 ports in the country will be on the panel, as will one member from the rail, trucking, maritime and marine terminal industries.
“The selection of these diverse members from a range of port users and relevant agencies to the Port Performance Working Group as required by the FAST Act is an important step of progress toward providing much-needed port statistics,” Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) said in a statement.
The group will submit an annual report to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics director identifying the top 25 ports, at minimum, using tonnage, containers and dry bulk as metrics. The director will then submit a report to Congress no later than Jan. 15.
“Improving port metrics by requiring objective baseline economic information is critical for an accurate picture of port operations and to prevent another disastrous port slowdown,” Newhouse said.
Lawmakers hope that the performance metrics will help avoid breakdowns in supplies and provide data to notice troubling trends before they become critical.
The first meeting will be held July 15.
