New hours are set to begin at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on July 23. Starting on that date, the ports will begin operating off-peak shifts from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.

That’s in addition to the existing hours of 3 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The changes are part of an ongoing effort by the port complex to ease congestion during the ports’ peak hours of operation.

Registration began on May 23 for OffPeak, a program designed to reduce daytime trips to the ports by adding fees for drivers who enter the port during peak hours. The fees – which are set to begin later this summer – range from $40 per 20-foot equivalent unit to $80 for a 40-foot container.

Drivers wishing to use the port during peak hours – defined as weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. – must register with the OffPeak program. Pick-ups and deliveries outside of those hours will not be charged a fee.

PierPass Inc., a private company, is administering the program. It can be found on the Web at www.pierpass.org. The registration site can be found at www.pierpass-tmf.org.