Trucker Strike Hampers Trade at Port of Miami

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strike by independent truckers at the Port of Miami-Dade, now in its second week, has brought trade to a standstill and has the local trade community scrambling for relief, the Miami Herald reported Thursday.

An estimated 3,000 containers move in and out of the port on a normal day. The Herald said that although no one in the trade community estimated losses from the strike, many said they would run into the millions of dollars.

Representatives from port terminal operators, trucking companies and the independent truckers have talked but failed to reach an agreement that would end the impasse, the Herald said.

Truckers have been handing out pamphlets around the port, saying they wanted an end to unfair insurance costs, a higher fuel surcharge, a higher pay scale and a surcharge for waiting time at the port.

Trucking companies said they are hoping the truckers will tire and return to work, the Herald said.

Only a few containers entered and left the port on Wednesday and those were handled by Seaboard Marine, a terminal operator that uses its own truckers.