Council Action Saves 200 Trucking Jobs

At the Feb. 5 city council meeting, a lengthy debate ensued over whether to force a local truck yard to cease its operations. Shippers Transport Express is a truck yard of roughly 60 acres in the city--the largest truck parking and cargo container storage facility in Carson. It has operated for about 20 years on a lease from Marathon Petroleum, formerly Tesoro, and is estimated to employ up to 250 people.

Unionized workers from the shipping yard testified at the meeting calling it �one of the best trucking jobs there is in L.A. County,� and noting the trucking industry�s role in helping with job training and re-entry jobs.


City staff had recommended terminating all operations by Shippers and requiring a �Retroactive Development Impact Fee� of $900,000. In a letter addressed to the city, Shippers Transport noted the city�s proposed fee was �4 times the annual amount of the previous impact fees.�


Ultimately the council suspended the fines and voted to allow Shippers until August to work with staff to negotiate a compliance fee and next moves. Councilman Jim Dear made the motion, noting �the overriding issue for me is the employment of up to 250 workers,� and calling the risk of those jobs �unacceptable.�