Cargo Dwell Times Improve at LA, Long Beach Seaports

A container ship at the Port of Los Angeles’ West Basin Container Terminal. Photo: POLA.

The amount of time a cargo container lingered at terminals within the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports before leaving by truck or by train either remained steady or improved from May to June.

That’s according to data released July 18 by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, which tracks dwell time data of the nation’s two busiest seaports.

Cargo destined for rail saw a two-day decrease from the previous monthly dwell time average, from 6.44 days in May to 4.73 days in June, PMSA data show.

Meanwhile, the average dwell time in June for truck-bound containers “remained low and steady” compared to May, with an average of 2.7 days in June compared to the average of 2.47 days in May, according to PMSA.

The data comes as both seaports report robust cargo volumes for June, which was the busiest month on record for the Port of Long Beach.

The improvement in rail dwell time shows that this portion of the supply chain is moving more efficiently, according to PMSA, which added that the rail dwell time average is in the lower range for 2024.

“We are pleased to see that truck dwell time remains low and that rail dwell time is improving,” PMSA External Affairs Manager Natasha Villa said. “This progress highlights our commitment to operational efficiency and our ongoing efforts to streamline logistics, ensuring a smoother and more efficient flow of goods.”

By Karen Robes Meeks