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tate officials and truckers in California said that wait times at the state’s three major ocean ports fell last week, as a law that penalizes terminal operators if they cause trucks to wait in line more than 30 minutes went into effect.

The law, signed in September by Gov. Gray Davis but not enforced until July 1, sets $250 fines for terminals that keep trucks waiting more than 30 minutes to load or unload containers. The law covers only ports that handle at least 100,000 containers a year.

The only ports in the state with that much volume are the adjacent Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and Oakland in the north, said Carol Coy, deputy executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

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