Port terminals are developing new ways to organize cargo at the docks and systems for getting that cargo moving off the docks as quickly as possible. Software developed by a local technology startup called Cargomatic, a sort of Uber for moving cargo around the Los Angeles region, serves as one creative solution.
Some port terminals have begun setting up appointments for short-haul truck drivers. Rather than waiting while longshore workers extract containers from the stacks one by one, drivers arrive at an appointed time and—in theory, at least—wait only for the container they need to be extracted.
So some terminals have been trying a novel idea: When a truck driver shows up, put the first container off the top of the stack on the truck and send it on its way. No more moving other containers around to dig out specific cargo—just get it all off the dock as fast as possible.
