Neon Tommy:
Longshoremen Jimmy Monti (left) and Frank Ponce De Leon (right) stand in a park in front of the docks in Long beach.
Neon Tommy:
A longshoreman stands beneath the cranes wearing the required orange jumpsuit and white hat to work on the docks. Behind him a cargo box sits on a truck bed that will be delivered to an assigned spot in the lot. This happens over and over all night long.
Neon Tommy:
A stair way leads up to a small elevator about 3ft wide
Neon Tommy:
The elevator will climb up 150 feet before arriving to the control cabin.
Neon Tommy:
The longshoreman workers call the operating station the "box". These line along the edge of the dock positioned above the vessel or ship.
Neon Tommy:
Frank can sit in this single chair for up to 10 hours using the controls on either side to pick up and discharge cargo from the vessel on to the dock.
Neon Tommy:
Hundreds of cargo containers sit below the operating station. The containers weight about 40 tons each. The container's varying colors help Frank with his depth perception when loading the containers.
Neon Tommy:
From his operating station, Frank can see the bay and the Long beach skyline.
Neon Tommy:
The port of Los Angeles in Long Beach is the second largest gateway for international trade in the United States bringing in 180 billion worth of valued goods each year. (via Wikimedia Commons)
Neon Tommy:
Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach at night. (via Flickr)
Neon Tommy:
The large cranes stretching out of the Long Beach docks can be seen from the 110 freeway.
Neon Tommy:
Frank Ponce De Leon (left) and Jimmy Monti (right) look out at the Long Beach docks.