A Glance at Clean Freight Strategies: 

Gate Accessibility for Drayage 

Improved gate accessibility can increase terminal throughput while reducing time trucks spend idling in 

queue. This helps trucking companies save fuel while reducing greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxides and 

particulate matter emissions. Extended gate hours and gate systems improvements could save over 

$1,000 in fuel costs and eliminate 5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per truck annually. 

What is the challenge?

Drayage truck traffic peaks during 

certain seasons and times of the day 

creating inefficiencies for the pick-up 

and delivery of cargo. Daytime peaks 

in truck volumes reflect the terminal gate 

operating hours, warehouse hours, and 

the timing preferences of shippers for 

pick-ups and deliveries. Traditional gate 

hours combined with inefficient gate 

access can result in lengthy lineups at 

gates and increased turn times. In a 

U.S. Maritime Administration survey, 

gate hours of operations were identified 

as an impediment to “efficient and 

effective cargo movement” at 38% of the 

country’s largest container ports. These 

peaks in drayage traffic, which often 

coincide with commuter rush hour traffic, 

not only increase fuel costs and delivery 

time, but also exacerbate air pollution. 

What is the solution? 

Gate Accessibility 

There are a number of options that can 

improve the efficiency and throughput of 

terminal gates. Reversible gates allow 

trucks to enter or exit depending on the 

demand for either service. Two-stage 

gates allow for the verification of 

information at one gate followed by 

actual gate inspection. Terminal staging 

areas allow for the quick drop off or pick 

up of a trailer. These strategies make 

more efficient use of otherwise idle gate 

capacity, reduce idling time and improve 

fuel efficiency. 

Time-Shifting 

Shifting a portion of truck traffic to 

evening and weekend hours can reduce 

both the number of trucks waiting at 

terminal gates and those entering local 

highways during peak hours. Timeshifting programs require operational 

changes by port management, terminal 

operators, shippers, warehouses, and 

labor organizations. Components of 

comprehensive 

time-shifting strategies include 

extending hours of operation for terminal 

gates, and warehouse and shipping 

facilities, ensuring labor availability and 

initiating incentive programs such as 

peak shipping charges. 

The results are in . . . 

Studies have shown that a 50% 

reduction in wait time is possible through 

improved gate accessibility. Savannah, 

New Orleans, Los Angeles are just a 

few of the ports that have implemented 

extended gate hours or individual gate 

improvements. Extended hours can 

benefit terminals with increased 

container throughput and customer 

satisfaction. Trucking firms/drivers 

benefit from increased number of turns 

per shift, increasing income and 

providing an incentive to attract drivers 

into the industry. 

The Port of Savannah has nearly 

doubled container volumes in recent 

years. Over the same period, truck turn 

times have decreased on average from 

U.S. EPA Office of Transportation & Air Quality ! EPA420-F-06-006 ! (734) 214-4767 phone ! smartway_transport@epa.gov ! 

www.epa.gov/smartway 
75 minutes in 2000, to 42 minutes in 

2004. This has been achieved by a 

combination of gate and yard planning 

measures. The port has extended gate 

hours, added additional specialized 

traffic lanes and implemented a twostage gate system. 

Terminal operators at the Ports of Los 

Angeles and Long Beach have 

established PierPass, a not-for-profit 

company whose mandate is to address 

congestion and air quality in the port 

regions. In July 2005, PierPass 

launched its OffPeak program to shift 

15-25% of cargo to off-peak hours 

through extended gate hours and peak 

hour shipping charges. Initial responses 

have been greater than expected, with 

nearly 30% of containers now shipped 

at night, an increase from 10% prior to 

the start of OffPeak. During the 

program’s first four weeks 188,000 truck 

trips were diverted from peak-hour 

traffic. 

Next steps

Terminal operators and Port Authorities 

should consider the implementation of 

gate efficiency measures to reduce 

congestion in and around port facilities. 

Consultation with stakeholders, 

including port management, terminal 

and warehouse operators, shippers, 

freight carriers, labor representatives 

and surrounding communities is a key 

step to undertake early in the planning 

process in order to garner full support 

for the changes. 

U.S. EPA Office of Transportation & Air Quality ! EPA420-F-06-006 ! (734) 214-4767 phone ! smartway_transport@epa.gov ! 

www.epa.gov/smartway