I’m sure by now you’ve heard about the protests taking place in Oakland, California. As protests continue, Freight Waves reported that “workers at Port of Oakland have been busy setting up orange barricades at all four of the marine terminals in case demonstrations continue through this week.” Port officials are urging drivers to pull back as container movement has been halted for a week at this point. “We respectfully ask that each independent owner-operator cease any further protest activity that disrupts port operations and the flow of commerce at the seaport,” Executive Director of Port of Oakland, Danny Wan, asked.
Independent truckers were outraged after Port of Oakland officials claimed there was “some traffic congestion” and were warned not to downplay the effect the protest had on the flow of containers. Officials, like the California Governor Gavin Newsom, are mostly upset because this law, although only now going into effect, was signed in 2019 and believe that truckers have had more than “sufficient time…to understand the requirements of the law.” Click here for the full story.