Dwell time is at elevated but steady level for local containers, up for rail cargo

April 2022

Contact: Natasha Villa

nvilla@pmsaship.com

Container dwell time remained flat during the month of April for local containers but continued to increase for containers bound for rail.

Container dwell time – the amount of time a container stays at a marine terminal after it is unloaded from an ocean carrier and taken off the premises by a truck or by rail – is an important metric for measuring the efficiency of the flow of containers through the ports.

Through April, the average dwell time for containers leaving the San Pedro ports by truck remained high, at 6.09 days. Container dwell time for containers leaving on rail climbed to an average of 9.6 days, a significant increase from 7.7 days through March.

“While it is important to note that dwell time for containers leaving by truck did not increase this month, it is equally important to note that 6.09 days is far too high. Prior to July 2020 containers remained on terminals for about three days and that’s what we hope to get back to,” explained Jessica Alvarenga, Manager of Government Affairs at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.