The Port of Virginia, in November handled 208,764 TEUs, making it the port’s fifth consecutive month of TEU volumes exceeding 200,000 units.  “Though we’re past peak-season, we’re not seeing a significant let-up in our volumes,” said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “Thanks to the work of the Motor Carrier Task Force and candid input from stakeholders at the Port Productivity Summit, we are making some headway at the terminals to adapt to, and manage this kind of throughput. We still have a long way to go to reach the consistency in delivery of service that our customers and stakeholders seek.”  The port finished November with operating income of $904,000, bringing the port’s string of consecutive profitable months to eight. Last November, the port posted an operating loss of $2.95 million.  “This is an improvement of $3.85 million versus the same month in 2013,” Reinhart said. “Financially speaking we’re on the right path and we continue to seek improvement in some critical operational areas.”  The port’s operating profit in the five months since the beginning of fiscal 2015 is $5.53 million, compared with an operating loss of $7.79 million in the same period of fiscal 2014, an improvement of $13.3 million when compared with the same period in fiscal 2014. Moreover, the port has generated an operating profit and in eight of the last nine months in calendar 2014.  In a calendar-year comparison, the port is tracking 7.2 percent -- 147,321 TEUs -- ahead of last year. This growth, atop of last-year’s record-setting volumes, continues to present a challenge to our delivery of efficient service to our customers and stakeholders, Reinhart said.  The latest initiatives the port has undertaken to improve throughput include moving to a six-day workweek at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) and Virginia International Gateway (VIG), relocation of the chassis yard and changes to the empty container receiving and dispatch process.  “Our most significant initiative that we’re implementing this week is the introduction of automated gates at NIT,” Reinhart said. “The automated gate system is designed to quicken the entry and exit to the terminal for motor carriers.”  In November, the port handled 208,764 TEUs, an increase of 8.2 percent, or 15,846 TEUs, when compared with November 2013. In a year-to-date comparison (Jan. – Nov. 2014 vs. Jan. – Nov. 2013) the port is tracking 7.2 percent ahead of the same period last year: 2,189,762 TEUs vs. 2,042,442 TEUs.  In November, truck volume increased by 9.3 percent. The port moved 76,699 containers by truck in November, which is 6,505 more than what was handled in the same month last year  “Our drivers are facing long wait-times at the gates,” Reinhart said. “We averaged 5,000-plus roundtrip moves per day at the gates in November and the turn-times for drivers were too long. We are continuing to work with drivers and stakeholders and from within to improve the experience at gates.”  In a year-to-date comparison, rail volume is up 3.6 percent; Virginia Inland Port up 13.9 percent; barge containers up 16 percent; truck containers up 8.7 percent; ship calls up 4.6 percent; and vehicle units down .5 percent.  In November, the port worked 163 vessels (container, breakbulk and Ro-Ro), an increase of 10 percent.  “We’ve had a good start to the fiscal year and it says a lot about The Port of Virginia’s team-effort to listen, adapt and innovate,” Reinhart said.