The Federal Highway Administration awarded the Port of Los Angeles a $3 million grant last week. This grant, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help the Port of Los Angeles use advanced technology to reduce port congestion. The project aims to streamline the flow of cargo, thereby easing the pressure on America’s troubled supply chain.

The Port of Los Angeles Gateway Project intends to use artificial intelligence as well as cloud-based applications to help schedule and manage port traffic. Wait times at ports around the country bloomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and remain high despite the pandemic’s easing. Officials say that the applications will help port workers direct drivers picking up and dropping off cargo.

The Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) program issued the grant. This program has issued over $45 million in grants to 10 projects throughout the country. ATCMTD focuses on supporting the use of advanced technologies to improve America’s infrastructure for the present and the future.

The technology grant will pair with other funds.

This grant is a welcome addition to a growing pool of funding the Port of Los Angeles has received. The port will also benefit from a $20 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant. This grant will allow the port to construct a four-lane, rail-roadway grade separation. That grade separation will improve truck traffic flow by removing an impediment to trucks, therefore reducing emissions from idling.

These funds are all geared towards improving mobility, efficiency, and sustainability in the trucking world. As a result, the Port of Los Angeles should see vastly improved supply chain flow within the next few years. This will make it more lucrative than ever to become a commercial trucker. During a time where truckers are in high demand and these improvement projects are underway, the idea of becoming a commercial hauler is looking better every day.