Port Operations Glossary – Port Authority of NY & NJ
Key Performance Metrics
- Turn Times: The amount of time a truck spends inside a marine terminal to complete a transaction (measured in minutes).
- Single Moves (Mins): The average time required for a truck to complete a single transaction, such as picking up or dropping off one container.
- Double Moves (Mins): The average time required for a truck to complete two transactions in a single terminal visit (e.g., dropping off one container and picking up another).
- Total Moves (Units): The total number of container transactions completed at the port terminals during the reporting period.
- Number of Trouble Tickets: Exceptions or issues requiring special handling or resolution during terminal operations.
- Unique Truck Visits: The total number of individual truck entries to port terminals during the reporting period.
- Terminal Departure Dwell (Days): The average number of days a container remains at a marine terminal after vessel discharge until it leaves via truck or rail.
- Import Rail Departure Dwell (Days): The average number of days a container destined for rail transport remains at the terminal before departing on a train.
- Number of Containers: The total count of shipping containers present at the port during the reporting period.
Operational Terms
- Gate Activity: The movement of trucks in and out of marine terminals, typically measured by RFID readers at terminal gates.
- YoY (Year-over-Year): A comparison of metrics between the current reporting period and the same period in the previous year.
- PortTruckPass: The system used to track and manage truck movements within the port complex.
- RFID Readers: Radio Frequency Identification technology used to scan and record trucks entering marine terminals.
- Intermodal: Transportation involving multiple modes (e.g., ship to rail to truck) with containers transferred between these different transportation systems.
- Intermodal Connectivity: The efficiency of transfers between different transportation modes, particularly between marine terminals and rail facilities.
- Intermodal Transfer Bottlenecks: Points of congestion or delay in the process of transferring containers between transportation modes.
- Last-Mile Distribution: The final stage in the delivery process from a distribution center to the end customer.
Global Shipping Terms
- Red Sea/Suez Canal Vessels: Ships that would normally transit through the Suez Canal to travel between Asia and Europe/East Coast North America.
- Cape of Good Hope Rerouting: Alternative shipping route around the southern tip of Africa, used when the Suez Canal route is unavailable or problematic. This route adds significant time and distance to voyages.
Infrastructure & Projects
- PSCI (Port Street Corridor Improvement): Infrastructure project to enhance transportation corridors servicing the port.
- Infrastructure Utilization: The degree to which physical port assets (cranes, berths, yards, gates) are being used relative to their capacity.
- Supply Chain Resilience: The ability of the port and related logistics networks to adapt to and recover from disruptions.
Statistical Terms
- Weekly Average: The mean value of a metric calculated over a seven-day period.
- Percentage Points (pp): Unit used to express the arithmetic difference between two percentages (e.g., a change from 10% to 15% is an increase of 5 percentage points).
- Growth Rate: The percentage increase in a metric compared to a previous time period.
Executive Summary
This comprehensive analysis examines the Port of New York and New Jersey’s operational performance across three distinct timeframes: weekly (comparing March 23, 2025, vs. March 16, 2025), monthly (comparing March 23, 2025 vs. February 23, 2025), and yearly (comparing March 23, 2025 vs. March 24, 2024). This multi-dimensional approach provides a holistic view of port performance trends and reveals immediate operational and longer-term structural changes.
The latest data from the week ending March 23, 2025, shows a significant decrease in port activity compared to the previous week, with truck visits declining by 12.2% and total moves by 10.4%. Despite this reduced volume, processing efficiency shows mixed results, with single move times improving by 5.5% but double move times deteriorating by 16.5%. The most encouraging weekly trend is the substantial 15.8% reduction in trouble tickets, indicating improved operational reliability.
Month-over-month comparisons reveal modest growth in volume metrics (truck visits +2.3%, total moves +2.9%) but concerning trends in processing efficiency, with both single and double move times increasing by 4.7% and 11.0% respectively. Container inventory has decreased by 8.9% since February, suggesting improved throughput despite longer processing times.
Year-over-year analysis shows significant improvements in processing efficiency (single moves -16.5%, double moves -4.0%) despite a dramatic 41.2% increase in container inventory. However, these efficiency gains are offset by substantial deterioration in dwell times, with terminal dwell increasing by 43.9% and rail dwell by 74.9% compared to March 2024.
These contrasting trends across different timeframes highlight both recent operational challenges and longer-term structural improvements, providing critical insights for port management and stakeholders.
Weekly Performance Analysis (Week Ending March 23, 2025 vs. Week Ending March 16, 2025)
One-Week Comparison
The table below compares key performance metrics for the two most recent reporting periods:
| Metric | Week Ending 3/16/2025 | Week Ending 3/23/2025 | Change | % Change |
| Turn Times | ||||
| Single Moves (Mins) | 45.34 | 42.86 | -2.48 | -5.5% |
| Double Moves (Mins) | 66.47 | 77.43 | +10.96 | +16.5% |
| Total Moves (Units) | 96,906 | 86,820 | -10,086 | -10.4% |
| Trouble Tickets | 6,614 | 5,571 | -1,043 | -15.8% |
| Truck Visits | ||||
| Weekly Truck Visits | 75,345 | 66,189 | -9,156 | -12.2% |
| YoY Growth vs. 2024 | +16.6% | -3.3% | -19.9pp | – |
| Import Inventory & Dwell | ||||
| Number of Containers | 25,266 | 27,031 | +1,765 | +7.0% |
| Terminal Dwell (Days) | 3.43 | 3.87 | +0.44 | +12.8% |
| Rail Dwell (Days) | 3.16 | 3.48 | +0.32 | +10.1% |
Note: pp = percentage points
Weekly Analysis Findings
The week-over-week comparison reveals significant changes in port activity and efficiency:
- Volume Decline: Both truck visits and total moves showed substantial decreases of 12.2% and 10.4% respectively. This represents a significant drop in port activity compared to the previous week.
- Mixed Processing Efficiency: Single move processing times improved by 5.5%, decreasing from 45.34 to 42.86 minutes. However, double move times deteriorated significantly, increasing by 16.5% from 66.47 to 77.43 minutes. This divergence suggests potential resource allocation challenges between different types of operations.
- Significant Trouble Ticket Improvement: The number of trouble tickets decreased by 15.8%, indicating improved operational reliability despite the challenges in double move processing.
- Increased Container Inventory: Container inventory increased by 7.0% despite the reduction in truck visits and total moves, suggesting potential accumulation of containers at the terminal.
- Worsening Dwell Times: Both terminal and rail dwell times increased substantially by 12.8% and 10.1% respectively, indicating challenges in container movement through the terminal and onto rail transport.
- YoY Growth Rate Reversal: The year-over-year growth rate shifted dramatically from +16.6% in the previous week to -3.3% in the current week, representing a 19.9 percentage point reduction. This suggests a significant change in market conditions compared to the same period last year.
The weekly data suggests that while the port experienced reduced volumes, it faced mixed results in efficiency metrics, with single move improvements offset by deterioration in double move processing and dwell times.
Monthly Performance Analysis (Week Ending March 23, 2025 vs. Week Ending February 23, 2025)
One-Month Comparison
The table below provides a month-over-month comparison of key performance indicators:
| Metric | Week Ending 2/23/2025 | Week Ending 3/23/2025 | Change | % Change |
| Turn Times | ||||
| Single Moves (Mins) | 40.95 | 42.86 | +1.91 | +4.7% |
| Double Moves (Mins) | 69.74 | 77.43 | +7.69 | +11.0% |
| Total Moves (Units) | 84,372 | 86,820 | +2,448 | +2.9% |
| Trouble Tickets | 5,895 | 5,571 | -324 | -5.5% |
| Truck Visits | ||||
| Weekly Truck Visits | 64,696 | 66,189 | +1,493 | +2.3% |
| YoY Growth vs. 2024 | -3.3% | -3.3% | 0.0pp | – |
| Import Inventory & Dwell | ||||
| Number of Containers | 29,660 | 27,031 | -2,629 | -8.9% |
| Terminal Dwell (Days) | 3.48 | 3.87 | +0.39 | +11.2% |
| Rail Dwell (Days) | 3.82 | 3.48 | -0.34 | -8.9% |
Note: pp = percentage points
Monthly Analysis Findings
The month-over-month comparison reveals several notable trends:
- Modest Volume Growth: Truck visits and total moves showed modest increases of 2.3% and 2.9% respectively, indicating slight growth in overall port activity since February.
- Processing Efficiency Challenges: Both single and double move processing times increased by 4.7% and 11.0% respectively, suggesting declining efficiency in container handling operations over the past month.
- Trouble Ticket Improvement: The number of trouble tickets decreased by 5.5%, indicating improved operational reliability despite the challenges in processing efficiency.
- Reduced Container Inventory: Container inventory decreased significantly by 8.9%, suggesting improved throughput of containers despite the increases in processing times.
- Mixed Dwell Time Trends: Terminal departure dwell time increased substantially by 11.2%, while rail departure dwell time improved by 8.9%. This divergence suggests improvements in rail transfer operations but challenges in overall terminal throughput.
- Stable Year-over-Year Growth Rate: The year-over-year growth rate remained unchanged at -3.3%, indicating consistent market conditions relative to the previous year.
The monthly data presents a mixed picture of port performance, with modest volume growth and reduced container inventory but deteriorating processing times and terminal dwell times. The improvement in rail dwell time is a positive sign amidst these challenges.
Year-over-Year Analysis (Week Ending March 23, 2025 vs. Week Ending March 24, 2024)
One-Year Comparison
The table below provides a comprehensive year-over-year comparison between the corresponding weeks in 2024 and 2025:
| Metric | Week Ending 3/24/2024 | Week Ending 3/23/2025 | Change | % Change |
| Turn Times | ||||
| Single Moves (Mins) | 51.32 | 42.86 | -8.46 | -16.5% |
| Double Moves (Mins) | 80.63 | 77.43 | -3.20 | -4.0% |
| Total Moves (Units) | 88,743 | 86,820 | -1,923 | -2.2% |
| Number of Trouble Tickets | 5,144 | 5,571 | +427 | +8.3% |
| Truck Visits | ||||
| Weekly Truck Visits | 68,464 | 66,189 | -2,275 | -3.3% |
| YoY Growth Rate | -1.5% | -3.3% | -1.8pp | – |
| Import Inventory & Dwell | ||||
| Number of Containers | 19,150 | 27,031 | +7,881 | +41.2% |
| Terminal Departure Dwell (Days) | 2.69 | 3.87 | +1.18 | +43.9% |
| Import Rail Departure Dwell (Days) | 1.99 | 3.48 | +1.49 | +74.9% |
Note: pp = percentage points
Key Year-over-Year Findings
The year-over-year comparison reveals significant changes in port operations and efficiency:
- Improved Processing Efficiency: Processing times have improved substantially over the past year, with single move times decreasing by 16.5% and double move times by 4.0%. This suggests successful implementation of efficiency initiatives in container handling operations.
- Slight Volume Decline: Total moves and truck visits show slight decreases of 2.2% and 3.3% respectively, indicating a minor contraction in port activity compared to the same period last year.
- Dramatic Container Inventory Increase: The number of containers at the port has increased by 41.2% year-over-year, a substantial growth that far exceeds the changes in truck visits and total moves. This suggests significant structural changes in container flow patterns.
- Critical Dwell Time Deterioration: Both terminal and rail dwell times have increased dramatically, with terminal dwell up by 43.9% and rail dwell by 74.9%. These substantial increases indicate significant challenges in container movement through the terminal and onto rail transport.
- Trouble Ticket Increase: The 8.3% increase in trouble tickets suggests increased operational complexity or challenges despite the improvements in processing times.
- Worsening Year-over-Year Growth Rate: The year-over-year growth rate has declined from -1.5% to -3.3%, indicating a deepening contraction in port activity compared to previous years.
The year-over-year analysis reveals a complex picture of operational changes. While processing efficiency has improved significantly, this has been offset by substantial increases in container inventory and dwell times, suggesting structural challenges in container flow despite faster handling operations.
Cross-Timeframe Analysis and Implications
Convergent Findings Across Timeframes
Analyzing the port’s performance across weekly, monthly, and yearly timeframes reveals several consistent patterns:
- Divergent Processing Efficiency Trends: The data shows an interesting pattern where processing efficiency has improved significantly year-over-year but has shown recent deterioration in the monthly and weekly (for double moves) comparisons. This suggests that while long-term improvements have been achieved, recent operational challenges may be eroding these gains.
- Container Inventory vs. Processing Capacity: All timeframes show a disconnect between container inventory and processing capacity. The year-over-year comparison shows a 41.2% increase in container inventory despite improved processing times, while the monthly comparison shows decreased inventory despite worse processing times.
- Dwell Time Challenges: Both weekly and monthly comparisons show increasing terminal dwell times, while the yearly comparison reveals a dramatic 43.9% increase. This consistent deterioration in terminal dwell represents a significant operational challenge across all timeframes.
- Rail Dwell Time Complexity: Rail dwell times show mixed trends, with weekly deterioration, monthly improvement, but dramatic yearly deterioration (+74.9%). This suggests recent initiatives may be addressing long-term challenges, but with inconsistent results.
Divergent Findings and Recent Shifts
While some patterns are consistent across timeframes, there are notable divergences that highlight recent shifts:
- Volume Volatility: The week-over-week data shows a significant 12.2% drop in truck visits, contrasting with the modest 2.3% increase in the monthly comparison. This suggests recent volatility in demand patterns.
- Trouble Ticket Improvements: Both weekly and monthly comparisons show reductions in trouble tickets (-15.8% and -5.5% respectively), contrasting with the 8.3% year-over-year increase. This suggests recent improvements in operational reliability that are reversing a longer-term negative trend.
- Year-over-Year Growth Rate Shift: The sudden shift from +16.6% year-over-year growth in the week ending March 16 to -3.3% in the week ending March 23 represents a dramatic 19.9 percentage point change in market conditions.
Implications for Stakeholders
Port Authority and Terminal Operators
- Processing Efficiency Opportunities: The significant long-term improvements in processing times demonstrate successful efficiency initiatives. However, the recent deterioration in double move times suggests the need for focused attention on this operation type.
- Dwell Time Crisis: The consistent and significant increases in dwell times across all timeframes represent a critical challenge requiring immediate attention. The divergence between terminal and rail dwell trends suggests the need for targeted interventions in terminal operations.
- Container Inventory Management: The substantial increase in container inventory year-over-year, coupled with increased dwell times, suggests the need for improved container flow management strategies.
Shippers and Logistics Providers
- Lead Time Planning: The significant dwell time increases across timeframes suggest that shippers should incorporate additional buffer time in supply chain planning.
- Volume Volatility Management: The recent sharp drop in port activity following a period of growth suggests the need for flexible capacity planning to accommodate volatile demand patterns.
- Modal Choice Considerations: The severe deterioration in rail dwell times year-over-year may warrant consideration of alternative transportation modes for time-sensitive cargo.
Policy Implications
- Infrastructure Investment Focus: The persistent dwell time challenges highlight the need for infrastructure investments focused on improving container flow through terminals.
- Intermodal Connectivity Improvement: The dramatic year-over-year increase in rail dwell times, despite recent improvements, suggests the need for sustained focus on enhancing intermodal connectivity.
- Operational Resilience Planning: The volatile pattern of port activity highlights the importance of resilience planning to handle demand fluctuations efficiently.
Recommendations
Operational Enhancements
- Double Move Process Optimization: Address the significant recent deterioration in double move processing times through:
- Process mapping and bottleneck identification
- Equipment and labor allocation review
- Targeted efficiency improvement initiatives
- Terminal Dwell Time Reduction: Develop a comprehensive strategy to address the persistent increases in terminal dwell times:
- Enhanced yard planning and container stacking strategies
- Improved coordination with trucking companies and shippers
- Extended gate hours or appointment system optimization
- Rail Transfer Efficiency: Build on the recent monthly improvement in rail dwell times through:
- Enhanced coordination between terminal and rail operations
- Dedicated resources for intermodal transfers
- Process standardization and performance monitoring
Strategic Initiatives
- Container Flow Management System: Implement enhanced tracking and management systems to improve visibility and control of container movements throughout the terminal.
- Capacity Planning Framework: Develop improved forecasting and capacity planning tools to anticipate and respond to volume volatility more effectively.
- Stakeholder Collaboration Platform: Establish structured collaboration mechanisms among port authority, terminal operators, rail providers, and major shippers to address systemic challenges collectively.
Conclusion
The multi-timeframe analysis of the Port of New York and New Jersey’s performance reveals a complex operational landscape with both encouraging improvements and significant challenges. The most recent week shows a substantial decrease in port activity with mixed efficiency results, while the monthly comparison indicates modest growth with some concerning efficiency trends. The year-over-year analysis highlights dramatic improvements in processing efficiency offset by substantial challenges in container inventory and dwell times.
These contrasting trends across timeframes illustrate the dynamic nature of port operations and the need for nuanced management strategies that address both immediate operational issues and longer-term structural challenges. The significant improvements in processing efficiency over the past year demonstrate the port’s capacity for positive change, while the persistent dwell time issues highlight areas requiring sustained attention.
As the port navigates these complex challenges, continued monitoring across multiple timeframes will be essential to distinguish between temporary fluctuations and fundamental trends, enabling more effective strategic planning and operational management.
