Trucking handling times at Mexico’s main ports showed an improvement during the second month of 2025. The Average Trucking Time Index in Ports (ITPAP) , carried out by T21 Business Intelligence, averaged 7 hours and 45 minutes in February of this year, which represented a 38.5% drop compared to the previous month (12 hours and 40 minutes).
The ITPAP is based on the handling times for trucking in container import cargo services at the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira, and Veracruz , which together handle more than 60% of the containers received in the country.
The indicator compiles monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies; it focuses on the average time tractor-trailers remain in operation, broken down into three critical categories during the cargo collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and customs.
The 7 hours and 45 minutes that the ITPAP averaged in February were divided into 28.98% waiting (2 hours, 14 minutes, and 46 seconds), 21.56% maneuvering (one hour, 40 minutes, and 14 seconds), and 49.4% in customs time (3 hours, 49 minutes, and 59 seconds) .
For the February 2025 registry, the ITPAP used data from 2,712 trucking movements at the analyzed ports as a reference.
Lázaro Cárdenas, the leader of the month
Viewed individually, the port of Lázaro Cárdenas showed the longest average time with 9.5 decimal hours (37% more than a month earlier), while the customs section alone took 4.7 decimal hours.
This port ranks second in the Mexican Pacific in terms of container movement. In 2024 alone, it received 797,210 20-foot TEUs of imported containers, 18.2% more than in 2023, according to statistics from the country’s port authority.
During the month in question, improvements were also recorded in the average times of the port of Altamira , with 4.3 decimal hours in February 2025 (44% lower than the time of a month earlier) and that of Manzanillo , with 6.6 decimal hours or a time lower by -71 percent.
For its part, the port of Veracruz showed a 39.7% increase, with 5.8 decimal hours.
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