The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) announced on November 10, 2021, the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will be temporarily increased from December 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022, subject to regulatory clearance by the Federal Maritime Commission. There will be a financial incentive to move containers during off-peak hours by charging a TMF during peak hours. This does not make any changes to the appointment systems operated by individual terminals.

This action comes at the request of the Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, as well as the Executive Directors of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, as part of a collaborative effort to incentivize increased use of marine terminal gates during off-peak hours. The action is part of an overall effort to expand the use of warehouses, distribution centers, and trucking during the second and third shifts for the final push of holiday goods in December and into January leading to Lunar New Year.

From December 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022, the TMF will be $78.23 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) or $156.46 for all other sizes of container for non-exempt international container moves through the terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:59 p.m. Monday through Friday. (current levels are $32.12/TEU or $64.24 all other sizes)

Containers exempt from the TMF includes:

Empty containers, import cargo or export cargo that transits the Alameda Corridor in a container and is subject to a fee imposed by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
Domestic and transshipment cargo
Loaded container moves through the terminals from 6:00 p.m. through 6:59 a.m. Monday through Saturday and all day (24 hours) on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
Empty chassis and bobtail trucks are also exempt

PierPASS is a not-for-profit company created by marine terminal operators at the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach to address multi-terminal issues such as congestion, air quality and security. The West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement (WCMTOA) is filed with the Federal Maritime Commission, and comprises the 12 international MTOs serving the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. For more information, please see www.pierpass.org.

If you have any questions, please contact your local Noatum Logistics representative.