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The double-digit volume growth leads to congestion at nation?s ports. The start of the peak-shipping season is still more than a month away, but marine terminal congestion in Los Angeles-Long Beach is mounting so rapidly that harbor truckers are in a state of panic. "We're weeks away from a meltdown," said the president of Southern Counties Express. Terminal operators that downsized their operations during last year's economic recession have been caught unprepared by the double-digit growth in cargo volume. Truckers are waiting at terminal gates, sometimes for hours, for service. Industry executives expect cargo volume to remain strong throughout the summer-fall peak season as imports show no sign of letting up. Truckers soon experienced lengthy delays in the morning and in early afternoon after the lunch break. |