SW Georgia News

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has announced the establishment of a Trucker Safety Committee at the Port of Savannah. The committee's primary focus will be to enhance collaboration with motor carriers and prioritize driver safety concerns. Officials maintain that this initiative acknowledges the critical role of motor carriers in the supply chain.

According to a press release by the GPA, President and CEO Griff Lynch stated: "GPA values its partners in the motor carrier industry and respects the job that they do every day. Georgia Ports created this initiative to increase communication between our port operations and safety teams and motor carriers."

The same press release informs that more than 13,200 motor carriers actively operate at the Port of Savannah, which sees an average of over 6,000 truck visits daily at its Garden City Terminal. It acknowledged that communication can be challenging due to the diverse range of operators, from single-driver owner-operators to large companies managing dozens or even hundreds of drivers. However, officials say that the terminal operates efficiently, citing an average time of under 35 minutes for a single container move and 54 minutes for a double move, making it the fastest among gateway ports. A recent committee meeting saw nearly 30 drivers from 15 different motor carrier companies participate.

In relation to this matter, GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy said: "We rely on each other to keep cargo moving. We are excited to hear from the trucking community and work with them to address challenges that we both face. We want to make it easy to do business here."

According to another GPA press release, Georgia's ports and inland terminals support over 561,000 jobs annually and generate $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue, and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes. The GPA has plans to invest $4.5 billion in the next decade to expand cargo handling capabilities in alignment with future supply chain needs. Notably, Georgia has been recognized as the top state for infrastructure by CNBC and has consistently ranked as the best state for doing business by Area Development for ten years.