Backlogged LA port struggles to implement 24/7 schedules: ‘We’ve had very few takers’

Promise of round-the-clock operations remains unfulfilled but fines for containers left at docks are helping to clear the way

Joe Biden announced a deal last month to establish around-the-clock operations at the Port of Los Angeles to break an unprecedented container ship traffic jam blamed for driving up consumer prices. But that hasn't happened yet.

Gene Seroka, the Port of Los Angeles executive director, said in an online briefing on Tuesday that the sprawling complex has 24/7 capability", but a shortage of truck drivers and nighttime warehouse workers poses problems in establishing a nonstop schedule, along with getting importers to embrace expanded hours.