Odd Lots The White House’s Envoy on What They’re Doing To Fix the Ports
Nov 25, 2021
John Porcari, Former Deputy Secretary of Transportation and current Port Envoy to the White House, shares his insights on the ongoing efforts to tackle supply chain disruptions. He discusses the collaborative measures taken to improve U.S. port efficiency and alleviate holiday shipping concerns. Porcari highlights the challenges posed by labor shortages and local regulations while emphasizing the importance of strategic partnerships to enhance infrastructure. He also outlines future strategies for building resilience within the logistics sector.
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Government's Role
- Government oversight can help fix bottlenecks by acting as an honest broker.
- This role gets different parts of the supply chain to communicate and work together.
Scale and Disruption
- John Porcari, despite prior experience, was surprised by the scale of the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex.
- The pandemic drastically altered trade patterns, causing gridlock at these ports, worsened by pre-existing issues.
Incentivizing Port Use
- Some companies used ports for free storage, hindering throughput.
- Incentives like 24/7 operations and collaboration with cargo owners are encouraging off-peak port use.