NEW POLICY – Enforcing Mandatory TRS Hours at NIT and VIG

Posted on January 16, 2019 · Posted in TMTA Flash
NEW POLICY – Enforcing Mandatory TRS Hours at NIT and VIG

The PRO-PASS Truck Reservation System (TRS) continues to expand, producing greater efficiencies for drivers and the port.  Nearly 50 percent of all gate transactions at NIT and VIG are now being processed during mandatory TRS hours, with considerably improved efficiencies compared to parallel work during open gate hours.

During mandatory TRS hours at both NIT and VIG, we continue to encounter a significant number of trucks arriving without reservations, or outside the permissible window for a confirmed reservation.  These trucks must be turned around and rerouted, negatively impacting the terminal experience for those drivers awaiting confirmed reservations.

At VIG, the most common infraction is passing through the inbound portal before 1000 hours, without a confirmed TRS reservation. 

In an attempt to address this issue, The Port of Virginia announces the following policy change, effective Wednesday, January 2, 2019:

  • A driver arrives and swipes credentials at an inbound kiosk at NIT or VIG
  • Inbound portal arrival time is noted and compared to the TRS reservation window
  • If the driver is out of compliance with TRS, he or she will be turned around and instructed to exit the terminal
  • (NEW) The inbound clerk will complete a form listing the name of the driver, license plate number and trucking company
  • (NEW) Completed forms will be submitted to The Port of Virginia’s Health & Safety Team
  • (NEW) A Terminal Safety Infraction Policy (TSIP) violation notice will be sent to the motor carrier
    • First offense = a warning
    • Second offense = the driver is barred from Port of Virginia terminals for two weeks
    • Third offense = the driver is barred from Port of Virginia terminals for 30 days

Information regarding The Port of Virginia’s TSIP – rules and consequences – may be found here:  http://www.portofvirginia.com/stewardship/healthandsafety/

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

The TRS is built upon making reservations in one hour blocks (0800, 0900, etc.) with a 30 minute grace period on either side of the hour.

  • For example:  A driver with an 0800 reservation may arrive as early as 0730, or as late as 0930, and still be considered on time.
  • The TRS reservation is linked to inbound portal arrival time – NOT lane/gate/kiosk arrival time
    • Ex. – A driver with a confirmed 0800 reservation at VIG passes through the inbound portal at 0925, arriving at the inbound kiosk at 0940
      • ON TIME – based on portal entry time (within the +30 minute window)
    • Ex. – A driver with a confirmed 0800 reservation at VIG passes through the inbound portal at 0725, arriving at the inbound kiosk at 0745
      • REJECTED, SUBJECT TO TSIP VIOLATION – based on portal entry time (more than 30 minutes early)

For drivers, please keep two major considerations in mind:

  1. Am I arriving at the inbound portal more than 30 minutes before, or 30 minutes after, my confirmed TRS reservation hour?
  2. In the absence of a confirmed TRS reservation:  Am I arriving at the inbound portal before open gate hours begin?
    1. Ex. – At VIG, with no reservation – passing through the inbound portal any time before 1000 hours is a TSIP violation

If you have questions regarding TRS, and/or this policy change, please contact POVTruckerreservationsystem@vit.org – 757-292-4545.

An online version of this message can be found here:  NEW POLICY – Enforcing Mandatory TRS Hours at NIT and VIG