Container Dwell Time Decreases to Near Pre-Pandemic Levels for Local Cargo

October 2022

Contact: Natasha Villa

nvilla@pmsaship.com

Container dwell time at San Pedro Bay ports was down for both local and rail-bound cargo for the second month in a row, indicating a positive trend towards pre-pandemic dwell time levels.

Container dwell time for containers departing on trucks was 3.5 days in October, down from 4.2 days in September. Only 10.9% of all local cargo remained on terminals for more than 5 days, down from 15.8% the month before.

The recent downward trend in dwell time for truck-bound containers is a welcome development. In October of 2021, as the backlog of ships grew by the day, containers were languishing for an average of 7.64 days.

Containers leaving on rail, however, remains very high. Through October, rail-bound cargo remained on terminals for an average of 14.2 days, down from 15.5 days the month before. 63.2% of rail-bound cargo remained on terminals for five days, and while still high, it is lower than the 66.3% the month before.

“As volumes at San Pedro ports begin to decline, we are noticing dwell times are following suit. Before the pandemic related surge, the average container dwell time was under three days so there is still work to be done,” explained Jessica Alvarenga, Manager of Government Affairs for the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.