25 Mar California Is Putting Carrier D&D Charges in the Crosshairs
In the U.S., the headwinds ocean carriers are sailing into are increasing in force.
While the push in Washington for reform of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act is targeting antitrust immunity and calling for more curbs on carriers’ ability to impose charges, lawmakers in California are mulling legislation aimed at tightening a law that limits when detention and demurrage (D&D) charges can be levied.
This legal initiative has found broad support from a coalition of trucking and beneficial cargo owner interest groups.
The proposed bill, AB 2406, would prohibit such charges when truckers cannot make an appointment at a marine terminal or when an ocean carrier’s containers are blocked from being returned to a terminal.
It would also restrict charges on containers not picked up by an ocean carrier because it bypasses the port or changes its schedule.