Georgia Ports Authority creates trucker safety committee

Driver concerns and promoting safe operations were the impetus of a new trucker safety committee established by the Georgia Ports Authority.

According to the port authority, more than 13,200 motor carriers are active users of the Port of Savannah, and more than 6,000 trucks per day visit the port’s Garden City Terminal. On average, a single move (dropping off a container or picking one up) takes 35 minutes at this particular terminal, while a double move (dropping off a container and picking another one up) is a 54-minute job.

These moves are the fastest among gateway ports, according to the Georgia Port Authority.

“GPA values its partners in the motor carrier industry and respects the job that they do every day,” Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority president and CEO, said in a statement. “Georgia Ports created this initiative to increase communication between our port operations and safety teams and motor carriers.”

Approximately 30 drivers representing 15 motor carriers of all sizes took part in a recent meeting of the recently created trucker safety committee, the port authority said. During that meeting, gate operations, trouble-ticket processes and procedures for the empty container yard were covered by representatives of the Georgia Ports Authority operations team.

@GaPorts establishes a Trucker Safety Committee to address driver concerns and help new and existing drivers become more familiar with safe operations on terminal.https://t.co/M5kRCUeETS

— Georgia Ports (@GaPorts) December 14, 2023

“We rely on each other to keep cargo moving,” said Ed McCarthy, Georgia Ports Authority chief operating officer. “We are excited to hear from the trucking community and work with them to address challenges that we both face. We want to make it easy to do business here.”

Terminal tours, ride-alongs and site visits are additional resources provided by the Georgia Ports safety team for motor carrier partners, the news release said.

To learn more about these and other resources, contact Safety@gaports.com.

Other port upgrades

The South Dakota Highway Patrol recently announced the modernization of the port of entry on eastbound Interstate 90 near Tilford, S.D.

Construction on this port, which sees an average of 5,000 commercial vehicles weekly, began in August 2022.

Among the updates are a new building with office, scale and indoor inspection bay; e-screening equipment, tire anomaly detection and thermal brake checking systems.

“By working with the SDDOT, we were able to replace aging and outdated equipment with new technology,” Capt. Jon Stahl, South Dakota Highway Patrol District Four Commander, said in a statement. “The result is a safer highway for everyone.” LL

More Land Line news by state.