Trucking companies in Mexico have experienced a steady downward trend in the first quarter of 2025 (1Q25) in terms of the time it takes to collect imported goods at the country’s main ports.

In March 2025, the Average Port Transportation Time Index (ITPAP) , by T21 Business Intelligence , accentuated the downward trend recorded since the beginning of the year, with a time of 5.8 decimal hours (converted this way for comparison).

The records for January (12.57 decimal hours) and February (7.75 decimal hours) have shown a clear decline in 2025, although, according to the historical graph, they are still above the times of the last four months of last year .

The ITPAP is based on handling times for trucking import cargo services at the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira, and Veracruz, which are the main entry and exit points for goods transported by sea, both in the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico.

For the March 2025 registry, ITPAP used data from 2,590 trucking movements at the analyzed ports as a reference , a significant sample relative to the number of entries reported by the ports and which seeks to show the current situation of these maritime connection centers.

The indicator gathers 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.

For the third month of this year, the port of Manzanillo showed the highest time , with 7.2 decimal hours, while the lowest was Veracruz, with 4.4 decimal hours.

Below are the individual port times for March 2025.

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El cargo Port traffic is constantly on the decline for trucking in 1Q25 apareció primero en T21.

The main Mexican ports have started 2025 with an increase in the time of attention to cargo transportation, pressured by the registration of Manzanillo , the one with the highest commercial activity in the country.

The Average Time Index for Motor Transport in Ports (ITPAP) , prepared by T21 Business Intelligence, has averaged 12 hours and 40 minutes in January of this year, a variation of 316% compared to the reading from a month earlier when the best time of all 2024 was even obtained (with 3 hours, one minute and 50 seconds).

The time recorded in the first month of this year is also far from the 4.70 hours (decimal) that occurred in January 2024.

The ITPAP, the only one of its kind in the country, is based on the handling times for import cargo at the ports of Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas , on the Pacific side, and Altamira and Veracruz , on the Gulf of Mexico.

The indicator gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies; it focuses on the average time spent by tractor-trailers, broken down into three critical categories in the merchandise collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and time in customs.

The 12 hours and 40 minutes that ITPAP averaged in the first month of this year were divided into 29.43% waiting (3 hours, 43 minutes and 49 seconds), 19.08% maneuvering (two hours, 25 minutes and 9 seconds) and 51.49% customs time (6 hours, 31 minutes and 34 seconds).

For January 2025, the indicator took as a reference the data of 2,606 motor transport movements in the ports analyzed.

The ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira and Veracruz handled 63.6% of the total import cargo volume registered by all ports in January 2025, which was nine million 440 thousand 815 tons, according to statistics from the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) , an office of the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) .

Taking as a reference the number of import containers operated, measured in 20-foot containers (TEU), the four ports handled 90.5% of the total nationwide that was handled in January of this year or 311,012 TEU.

Manzanillo, “in the clouds”

But the case that stood out during the first month of 2025 was that of the port of Manzanillo, with an average total time of 23 hours, its second longest time since the ITPAP was prepared.

This time was divided into 4.1 decimal hours in maneuvers, 6.7 hours waiting and 12.1 hours in customs.

The port of Manzanillo received a total of 147,342 TEUs in January of this year , 13.7% more than in the same period last year.

The other ports also showed an individual average with significant increases compared to the record of a month earlier : Altamira with 7 hours 43 minutes (+115%), Lázaro Cárdenas with 6 hours and 57 minutes (+76%) and Veracruz with 4 hours and 9 minutes (+55%).

El cargo The handling time for auto transport in Mexican ports soars apareció primero en T21.

The downward trend was confirmed and the handling times of the main ports in Mexico for motor transport in December had the best record of 2024.

That is, the Average Time Indicator for Motor Transport in Ports (ITPAP) , prepared by T21 Business Intelligence , showed in the twelfth month of last year an average time of 3 hours, one minute and 50 seconds, which meant a decrease of 9.3% compared to the record of a month before.

This last record is considerable if we take as a reference that the ITPAP reached its maximum in July of the same year , when an average time of 29 hours and 45 minutes was recorded between the analysis ports; from there everything has been downhill.

The indicator, unique in the country, is based on the handling times for import cargo in the ports of Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas, on the Pacific side, and Altamira and Veracruz, on the Gulf of Mexico, or for some improvisers, “Gulf of America.”

These four maritime points handled 66.1% of the total import cargo volume registered by all ports in the country in 2024, which was 130 million 549 thousand 236 tons , according to statistics from the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) , an office of the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar) .

But if we take as a reference the number of import containers operated, measured in 20-foot containers (TEU), the same four ports handled 90.4% of the total nationwide that was handled last year or three million 859 thousand 965 TEU.

The ITPAP gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and vehicle tracking companies via GPS; it focuses on the average time spent by tractor-trailers, broken down into three critical categories in the merchandise collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and time in customs.

For December 2024, the indicator took as reference the data of 2,819 motor transport movements in the ports analyzed.

The 3 hours, one minute and 50 seconds that ITPAP averaged in the last month of last year were divided into 29.53% waiting (53 minutes and 42 seconds), 21.25% maneuvering (38 minutes and 39 seconds) and 49.20% customs time (one hour, 29 minutes and 30 seconds) .

The ports observed by ITPAP have taken center stage in the delays experienced by import cargo to reach its destination -read a production line or a consumption center-, evidencing the inefficiencies that still prevail in the Mexican port system , such as lack of capacity in the infrastructure, high administrative or inspection burden on merchandise and even failures in technological systems, especially customs systems.

In an interview given by the head of the CGPMM, captain Manuel Fernando Gutiérrez Gallardo, which was published in the January 2025 edition of T21 magazine , he refers to the fact that under the new federal administration there will be open doors and willingness to dialogue with the private sector to address the demands or needs that arise to improve operations in the country’s ports. Only time will tell whether he is right or wrong.

In the December 2024 exercise, the port of Manzanillo was the one that showed the shortest time in serving motor transport , with 2.1 decimal hours, followed by Veracruz with 2.7 hours, Altamira with 3.6 hours and finally Lázaro Cárdenas with 4.0 decimal hours.

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El cargo Ports close 2024 with the best service time for motor transport apareció primero en T21.

The interaction that Mexican ports had with cargo transportation last November meant their second best record of 2024, going down from 3.80 decimal hours a month earlier to 3.33 decimal hours , an improvement in time of -12%, according to the Average Time Index for Cargo Transportation in Ports (ITPAP) .

The ports included in the measurement of the indicator are Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira and Veracruz , in their operation with motor transport.

The port of Manzanillo was the one that registered the best evolution by making the most progress in reducing loading times by achieving a 20% reduction compared to the previous month, according to the index prepared by the T21 Business Intelligence unit.

The port of Altamira followed with a 17% decrease in the same period. Veracruz was left behind, achieving a reduction of 16.2% and Lázaro Cárdenas, which reduced its times by 15 percent .

During November, the sample to create the ITPAP was based on the monitoring of 2,481 transport units, averaging the times taken in the three sections in which the measurement is made: the waiting time to access the port, the maneuvering time in the terminals and the waiting time to complete the customs crossing process.

The information is provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies to compile the index.

Among the ports measured, Lázaro Cárdenas, although it improved, has three months with the longest average time in its interaction with motor transport , averaging this time 4 hours and 21 minutes to complete the circuit.

Manzanillo , the port with the highest container traffic, was the one that required the least amount of time for road transport, allowing the circuit to be completed in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Altamira followed with 2 hours and 55 minutes and Veracruz with 3 hours and 8 minutes.

As a percentage of times, customs crossings remained above 49.1% of the circuit , the waiting time to enter the port was 29.37% and the operation of maneuvers in the terminal represented almost 21.44 percent.

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El cargo Mexican Ports Improve Interaction with Freight Transport apareció primero en T21.

The average times that ports in Mexico handled for auto transport units showed a notable improvement last September , placing it as the fourth month with the best performance in the year, according to the Average Time Index for Auto Transport in Ports (ITPAP) .

According to this indicator, during the ninth month of 2024, the average time that a trucking unit took to pick up imported cargo was 4 hours and 44 minutes for the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira and Veracruz .

Translated into decimal hours, the time in September was 4.73 hours , reflecting a decrease of 64% compared to the record for August (13.12 hours).

This reduction in handling times at ports occurs in a context in which the country has maintained a constant rate of growth in the reception of imported goods by sea.

In the cumulative period from January to September of this year, Mexican ports had received a total of two million 863 thousand 450 20-foot containers (TEU) , a measure of maritime standardization, which meant an increase of 11.7% compared to the same period last year, according to official data.

However, upon closer inspection, the port authority’s statistics reveal that in TEU imports, September alone totaled 304,484 containers received, which meant a monthly drop of 13.7% , making it, in turn, the third month in the year with the lowest level in this activity, which would explain the drop in times recorded in the ITPAP.

The ITPAP is a measurement carried out by the T21 Business Intelligence unit of the travel and waiting times of trucking units in the four main ports of the country (Altamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas). The information is obtained using the GPS of service provider companies and trucking companies in their port entry processes, loading/unloading maneuvers at the terminal and the waiting time to cross customs.

In this sense, the 4 hours and 44 minutes average in September was divided into 2 hours and 19 minutes in customs; 1 hour and 3 minutes in maneuvering; and 1 hour and 22 minutes in waiting time.

Last September, the sample covered a universe of 1,355 auto transport units , whose measurements were the basis for the realization of the ITPAP.

Regarding the times recorded by each port, ITPAP revealed that in September, Veracruz, Manzanillo and Altamira averaged around 4 hours in service times for motor transport, while Lázaro Cárdenas extended to 6 hours.

In detail, the port of Lázaro Cárdenas showed a higher consumption of time in customs , with 2.9 decimal hours, while waiting time was 1.8 hours and maneuvers 1.3 hours.

Below you can see the details of the other ports and their average handling times for motor transport, according to ITPAP.

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El cargo Port times in Mexico down in September apareció primero en T21.

During the month of August, the Average Time Index for Motor Transport in Ports (ITPAP) registered a notable improvement compared to the previous month, falling by 56%, from 29 hours and 45 minutes to 13 hours and 7 minutes. Among the reasons that could explain this reduction, it is worth noting that during the eighth month of the year, the National Customs Agency of Mexico (ANAM) did not suffer system outages, as it did a month before. Also, the fact that ports such as Manzanillo, the busiest in the national port system, extended the operating hours of its customs to compensate for the inconveniences that collapsed the port at the end of July and a higher level of operations.

Although the decrease in times in the eighth month is positive, compared to the data from the previous month, the indicator is still far from the most efficient times recorded in this first year of measurement, in the months of March and May, when the index was just 3.9 hours.

It should be noted that, although cargo volumes in August were higher than those moved during the third and fifth months of the year, these were only 21.9 and 15.76% higher, respectively; while the times more than double the standard that the logistics links reached in those months when they were more efficient. In short, there should be the capacity and processes to make the operation of auto transport in ports even more efficient , and thus positively impact the logistics costs that we have as a country.

The ITPAP is a measurement carried out by the T21 Business Intelligence unit of the travel and waiting times of trucking units in the four main ports of the country (Altamira, Veracruz, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas). The information is obtained using the GPS of service provider companies and trucking companies in their port entry processes, loading/unloading maneuvers at the terminal and the waiting time to cross customs.

Last August, the sample covered a universe of 2,568 auto transport units , whose measurements were the basis for the creation of the indicator.

Among the four main ports serving the country’s trade, Lázaro Cárdenas was the one that improved the most in the index by reducing its times with respect to July by 59% , followed by Altamira with 58.4%, Manzanillo with 56%; and, finally, the port of Veracruz with a 43% improvement.

Of the three phases measured by the indicator, it is observed that the waiting time for goods to clear customs remains the one that consumes the most time in the circuit, fluctuating between 50 and 45 percent. Dead times in the process generate costs that, obviously, do not add value to our country’s supply chain and do increase the final prices of the goods when they reach the consumer and have an impact on the national inflation rate.

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El cargo Ports Improve in August but Remain Below Optimal Levels apareció primero en T21.

peak season , projecting an increase in service times for motor transport, according to the Average Time Indicator for Motor Transport in Ports (ITPAP) developed by T21 Business Intelligence, in collaboration with geolocation companies and motor transport lines.

In July 2024, the average time it took a trucking unit to pick up imported cargo was 29 hours, 45 minutes and 2 seconds. at the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira and Veracruz.

Just a month earlier, the average time had been 7 hours, 7 minutes and 36 seconds .

This average time is divided into three types of measurements regarding the activities carried out by a trucking unit when collecting merchandise: maneuvering, waiting, and customs. Likewise, for the July 2024 fiscal year, 2,610 trucking unit movements were taken into account (a month earlier there were 2,837).

In this regard, the average waiting time last July in the four ports was 11 hours, 7 minutes and 26 seconds; in maneuvering it was 7 hours, 27 minutes and 13 seconds; while in customs it was 11 hours, 10 minutes and 23 seconds.

While in June the record was 1 hour, 32 minutes and 59 seconds waiting ; 2 hours, 5 minutes and 22 seconds in maneuvers and 3 hours, 29 minutes and 14 seconds in customs. .

Although at the time of going to press, the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) , which is dependent on the Secretariat of the Navy , had not yet published the port statistics for July of this year, some of the ports considered in the T21 Business Intelligence measurement have reported in recent weeks that they have registered historic increases in container imports during the seventh month of the year.

Such is the case of Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas , the two main ports located on the Mexican Pacific that have been experiencing growth in the reception of merchandise from the Asian continent.

Peak season is defined as the time of year (mainly in the third quarter of the year) in which importers receive most of their goods in preparation for the main commercial seasons at the end of the year, increasing the demand for transport spaces and the cost of freight , mainly in maritime transport.

Time per port

This work, carried out by T21 Business Intelligence, together with the information provided by geolocation companies and trucking lines, allows us to present for the first time the average time accumulated by each of the ports during the first seven months of this year.

Below we show the results of the average time for each port (together with the three divisions) and comparative, emphasizing that the data shown was converted to decimal hours in order to make the respective comparisons.

Port of Altamira

Port of Veracruz

Port of Lazaro Cardenas

Port of Manzanillo

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El cargo Peak Season Drives Up Trucking Times at Mexican Ports apareció primero en T21.