Georgia Ports celebrates truck drivers

SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 16, 2026 – The Georgia Ports Authority hosted events onsite for National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, thanking drivers for their reliable, efficient service that is essential to the port’s success.

Georgia Ports employees handed out Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits, cooling towels and aluminum water bottles at terminal truck gates across its facilities, including the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick, and at its inland terminals in Bainbridge, Chatsworth and Gainesville.

“Truck drivers are a key link in the global supply chain, especially in Savannah. Nearly 80 percent of our container trade moves by truck,” said Georgia Ports President Kevin Price.

The Port of Savannah handles 15,000 truck moves daily from 4 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, counting both import and export containers. GPA’s terminal efficiency means truckers can complete six to eight turns per day and still be home for dinner.

Georgia Ports achieved average truck turn times in August of only 34 minutes for a single-container move and 43 minutes for truck drivers delivering an export and picking up an import container. Approximately 80 percent of truck transactions at the Port of Savannah involve such dual moves, requiring fewer total truck miles each day.

The Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal features three choices of truck gates to speed drivers through the terminal’s 50 truck lanes. Once a driver has entered the terminal, roundabouts at major intersections are designed to keep trucks moving quickly, safely and with less idling. Drivers in need of an empty chassis had their pick of more than 1,700 chassis on average each day in August at Garden City Terminal.

To ensure a positive on-terminal driver experience, GPA has implemented several initiatives to make port visits safer and more efficient.

Trucker Safety Initiative

GPA’s Trucker Safety Committee increases communication, addresses driver concerns and helps drivers operate more safely on terminal. The committee is comprised of terminal managers and dispatchers from large and midsized companies, with a rotation system to include voices from smaller companies.

“Our quarterly trucker safety committee has received remarkable participation from the trucking industry,” said GPA Chief Operating Officer Ed McCarthy. “Trucker safety outreach includes terminal tours, site visits to trucking companies and ride-alongs.”

Guided port tours give operations teams and drivers a firsthand look at GPA facilities. Companies can also invite GPA representatives to their own terminal safety meetings, giving dispatchers and drivers the opportunity to engage directly with GPA’s safety team. Ride-alongs allow GPA to experience the driver’s perspective and better understand the challenges faced on the road. Port officials said the outreach helps GPA hear the trucking community’s needs and respond in actionable ways.

The GPA website includes resources for truckers such as terminal maps, driving directions, FAQs and information for new drivers, including a Garden City Terminal Drivers’ Orientation Video.

GPA Trucker app

Drivers can tap into the GPA Trucker mobile app to see container locations inside the port, for easy navigation.

Real-time alerts on gate hours, weather and container transaction updates are available on the app. The GPA Trucker app also notifies drivers if a 72-hour PIN needed for container pickup has expired before they arrive at the port, ensuring each trip to the port is productive. The app replaces paper gate tickets with digital versions, reducing waste.

The free app is available on the Apple AppStore or Google Play by searching for “GPA Trucker.” Learn more about using the app at gaports.com/motor-carriers. To date, more than 5,800 people have registered to use the GPA Trucker app.

Facial Recognition Security in Place

Facial recognition at terminal gates speeds truck processing, while allowing GPA to comply with federal security standards. Enrolled drivers no longer need to stop and present a Transportation Worker Identification Credential.

“It’s one more way we’re providing a seamless experience for truckers while maintaining security,” Price said. “Every minute we save a trucker gets cargo to its destination faster.”

GPA led the port industry with the introduction of facial recognition at Garden City Terminal truck gates in June 2026. Previous vascular hand scanners took three to six seconds to work. Facial recognition takes as little as one second, and increases the positive read rate from 97 percent to 99 percent. Those improvements are multiplied by thousands of transactions each day.

WATCH GEORGIA PORTS – TRUCKER APPRECIATION VIDEO BELOW:

ABOUT GEORGIA PORTS

Georgia’s Ports in Savannah and Brunswick are strategic gateways, creating the most competitive supply chains in the nation with their level of operations, connectivity and supply chain ecosystem. These attributes combined with Georgia’s ranking as the top state to do business for 12 consecutive years create a strong business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 40 ship calls a week, 42 double-stack trains per week and 15,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the number 1 ranked U.S. RoRo port by annual volumes for autos and has an increasing amount of machinery cargoes with its expanded high and heavy cargo operating space.  GPA has a self-financed investment plan of nearly $5 billion for the next ten years which will see five big ship container berths added in Savannah (the most of any U.S. container port) and a fourth RoRo berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. Over the past 10 years, the GPA board has approved $4.13 billion in infrastructure improvements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million is being donated to port communities to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative, helping over 230 families repair, buy or build a home in the Savannah area since its start in September 2023. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, Manager of Media Relations at [email protected]  912-964-3806.

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