According to the West Coast MTO Agreement, the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will temporarily increase from December 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022, subject to regulatory clearance by the Federal Maritime Commission. During this time, the TMF will be charged during peak hours only, so moving containers during off-peak hours will have a financial incentive.
The TMF will be $78.23 per TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) or $156.46 for all other container sizes for non-exempt container international moves through the terminals Monday through Friday between 7:00 am and 5:59 pm.
The following containers are exempt from the TMF:
- Empty containers
- Import cargo or export cargo that transits the Alameda Corridor in a container and is subject to a fee imposed by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority
- Domestic and transshipment cargo
- Loaded container moves through the terminals from 6:00 pm through 6:59 am or all day on weekends/holidays
- Empty chassis and bobtail trucks
This action is a continued effort to clear the container backlog at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. It is also an attempt to increase the use of terminal gates during off-peak hours and expand the use of warehouses, distribution centers, and trucking during second and third shifts.
