Truck drivers losing money, despite ports reopening
Feb 9, 2015, 12:45 PM | Updated: 2:21 pm
Contract negotiations at the Port of Seattle are causing truck drivers to lose money as they wait to deliver. (AP)
(AP)
Despite the Port of Seattle fully reopening Monday, truck drivers’ wallets are still being impacted.
Drivers are waiting up to six hours when the port is operating, said Jim Tutton, vice president of the Washington Trucking Association. Tutton did not know how many drivers are waiting to deliver or pick up cargo.
Related: West Coast seaports fully reopen
“I couldn’t guess, but it’s a great many,” he said.
The Port of Seattle is among several West Coast ports that have suffered work slowdowns as the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union continue contract negotiations that have been going on since May.
Work at the port slowed down at Terminal 18 at the Port of Seattle after longshoremen walked off the job on Jan. 20. Terminal 18 is the largest container facility in the Pacific Northwest.
“When the drivers are not working, they’re not getting paid,” Tutton said.
Freight truck drivers get paid by the load. So, when work slows down at the port, truck drivers are also stuck in limbo.
“In other words, when they pick up or deliver a container to the ports, that’s when they’re earning money,” Tutton said. “When they’re not doing that, they’re not earning any money.”
“There’s frustration,” Tutton added.
