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
For the week ending April 20, 2025, the Port of New York and New Jersey experienced mixed performance across key metrics. Truck visits decreased 6.98% compared to the previous week, while container inventory increased by 6.55%. Terminal dwell times increased by 17.93% week-over-week, though rail dwell times improved, decreasing by 16.52%. The port continues to handle significant container volume, partly attributed to vessels rerouted from the Red Sea region.
Truck Visit Activity
The Port recorded 68,076 truck visits for the week ending April 20, 2025, representing a 6.98% decrease from the previous week’s 73,182 visits. When compared to the same period last year, current truck visits are down 5.31%. However, container inventory has increased significantly year-over-year, suggesting a shift in operational patterns.
The weekly trend shows a consistent decline in truck visits over the past four weeks:
- Week of 3/30/2025: 77,363 visits
- Week of 4/6/2025: 73,754 visits
- Week of 4/13/2025: 73,182 visits
- Week of 4/20/2025: 68,076 visits
This represents an overall 12.0% reduction in truck visits from late March to late April, potentially indicating seasonal adjustments or operational changes at the port.
Turn Times and Operational Efficiency
Turn times for the week ending April 20, 2025, show a slight increase compared to the previous week:
- Single moves: 40.11 minutes (up 1.75% from last week)
- Double moves: 62.46 minutes (up 0.86% from last week)
However, these figures still represent an improvement from March, when single moves averaged 42.86 minutes and double moves averaged 77.43 minutes. The year-over-year comparison reveals that current turn times are also more efficient than the same period in 2024, with single moves down 9.66% and double moves down 5.73% from last year’s figures.
Total moves for the week were 83,731 units, down 5.26% from last week’s 88,381 and 9.85% lower than the same week last year. The number of trouble tickets increased to 5,483, up 7.43% from the previous week.
Container Inventory and Dwell Times
Container inventory continues to grow, with 31,936 containers reported for the week ending April 20, 2025. This represents:
- 6.55% increase from last week (29,974 containers)
- 18.15% increase from late March (27,031 containers)
- 23.66% increase year-over-year (25,826 containers in April 2024)
The terminal departure dwell time increased to 3.88 days, up 17.93% from last week’s 3.29 days. This figure is nearly identical to the 3.87 days recorded in late March, indicating a return to previous patterns after a temporary improvement in mid-April.
Import rail departure dwell time showed improvement at 2.78 days, down 16.52% from the previous week and 20.11% from late March. However, this figure remains significantly higher (70.55%) than the 1.63 days recorded in April 2024.
Week-over-Week and Year-over-Year Performance
Overall port performance metrics show mixed results across different timeframes:
| Metric | vs Last Week | vs Last Month | vs Last Year |
| Truck Visits | -6.98% | +2.85% | -5.31% |
| Total Moves | -5.26% | -3.56% | -9.85% |
| Container Inventory | +6.55% | +18.15% | +23.66% |
| Terminal Dwell Time | +17.93% | +0.26% | +19.02% |
| Rail Dwell Time | -16.52% | -20.11% | +70.55% |
| Trouble Tickets | +7.43% | -1.58% | +11.67% |
The most significant positive development is the continuing growth in container inventory, while the notable concern is the increase in terminal dwell times compared to both last week and last year.
Impact of Red Sea Rerouting
The Port of New York and New Jersey continues to benefit from vessels rerouted due to security concerns in the Red Sea. Approximately six ships were redirected to Port Newark/Elizabeth during this period, with each vessel estimated to carry about 10,000 containers.
This rerouting has contributed significantly to the port’s container volume, with an estimated 60,000 additional containers processed due to Red Sea diversions. This represents a substantial portion of the port’s current container inventory and helps explain the 18.15% increase in container count since late March.
The continuing situation in the Red Sea region may lead to sustained higher container volumes in the coming months, which could place additional pressure on port operations, particularly given the rising terminal dwell times.
Conclusion and Outlook
The Port of New York and New Jersey is experiencing higher container volumes but facing challenges with terminal dwell times and decreasing truck visits. The significant increase in container inventory, partly driven by Red Sea rerouting, suggests the port needs to focus on improving terminal efficiency to maintain smooth operations.
Key areas to monitor in the coming weeks include:
- Whether truck visits continue their downward trend
- If terminal dwell times can be reduced from the current 3.88 days
- The ongoing impact of Red Sea rerouting on overall port capacity
- The effectiveness of rail operations, which have shown improvement in dwell times
The port appears to be handling the increased container volume adequately but may need to implement additional measures if terminal dwell times continue to rise or if truck visits continue to decline while container inventory grows.
