The Average Port Transportation Time Indicator (ITPAP) recorded a national average of 8.7 decimal hours for the collection of imported goods in September 2025, considering the ports of Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Altamira, and Veracruz , based on an analysis of 2,713 transportation movements. The monthly variation was 1.16%, a stagnation that contrasts with the strong fluctuations that continue at each port.

In a context where logistics competitiveness defines a country’s ability to sustain its foreign trade, the numbers show that efficiency is not advancing at the speed demanded by global chains. The clock remains a ruthless judge: long lead times imply high costs .

Altamira: the best performance of the month

Altamira recorded the greatest advance among the four enclaves: 7.2 decimal hours , an improvement of -12.2% compared to the previous month.

The double-digit drop is a welcome relief after months of significant ups and downs. The question is whether the improvement will be sustainable or merely a response to temporary fluctuations.

Lázaro Cárdenas: the clock is ticking

Lázaro Cárdenas’ performance worsened, with 11.9 decimal hours and a monthly increase of 5.3%.

The Michoacán port once again lags behind the rest of the system, due to its infrastructure and processes—although robust for industrial cargo—showing weaknesses in land operations and customs clearance times.

Manzanillo extends its opening hours

Manzanillo averaged 8.5 decimal hours , an increase of 8.9% monthly.

Mexico’s largest port remains far from meeting standards compatible with the scale of its flows and the demands of nearshoring . Shorter turnaround time means higher turnover… and trade is grateful.

Veracruz: slight progress

With 7.0 decimal hours and a -2.8% improvement, Veracruz remains one of the most stable ports in the country.

However, its progress was the most modest of the month . Stability is good, but in the current environment, if you don’t accelerate, you’ll be left behind.

A system that improves… without accelerating

The results leave a clear interpretation: Mexican ports are improving, but slowly. While Altamira shows signs of operational reorganization, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas are becoming the main focus of attention due to their increasing turnaround times . Veracruz, meanwhile, is navigating accurately, although lacking the necessary momentum to make a difference.

In a global trade where every minute costs and every hour hurts, port efficiency must be a national priority. It’s not just about numbers: the country’s competitiveness is what matters through these access points .

ITPAP reminds us month after month: an efficient port is not one that moves the most ships, but one that clears each shipment the fastest.

The ITPAP, developed by T21 Business Intelligence (T21 BI), gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies . It focuses on the average dwell time of tractor-trailers, broken down into three critical categories during the cargo collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and customs.

From January to September of this year, Mexican ports handled just over 89.9 million tons of imported goods , representing a decrease of 8.7% compared to the same period last year. The four ports analyzed by the ITPAP alone handled 64.7% of the total imported cargo for the reference period, according to data from the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM) .

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El cargo ITPAP September 2025: Port efficiency stagnates despite individual adjustments apareció primero en T21.

The Average Port Transportation Time Indicator (ITPAP) for August 2025, conducted by T21 Business Intelligence, raised new alarms regarding operational efficiency at the country’s main ports. During the eighth month, 2,823 movements of transportation units in import services were analyzed, yielding an overall average dwell time of 8.6 decimal hours , representing a 9.5% increase compared to July.

The widespread upswing reveals growing tensions in the logistics chain, where port competition is measured minute by minute. However, when the data is broken down, each port exhibits its own dynamics that reflect both its structural challenges and its areas of opportunity.

The ITPAP (Tax and Logistics Information Processing Unit) gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies; it focuses on the average time tractor-trailers spend in storage, broken down into three critical categories during the cargo collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and customs.

Altamira: the biggest mismatch of the month

The port of Altamira recorded an average time of 8.2 decimal hours (converted this way for comparison), which represented an increase of 34.4% compared to the previous month.

This jump, the most pronounced of the period, places the terminal at the center of the discussion about logistics coordination processes. The increase calls into question Altamira’s resilience in the face of the operational pressures posed by the peak foreign trade season .

Lázaro Cárdenas: sustained increase

Although the increase is less dramatic than in Altamira, it is a sensitive indicator: the Michoacán terminal concentrates part of the long-haul Pacific cargo, and any deviation directly impacts the supply chains of key industries such as the automotive industry .

Manzanillo: the exception to the rule

In contrast, Manzanillo reduced its times, reaching an average of 7.8 decimal hours , which translated into an improvement of -4.8% compared to the previous month.

The data, although positive, should be analyzed with caution: the reduction could be due to both operational adjustments and temporary variations in cargo flow. If this trend is confirmed, it would be a relief for the country’s most important port for container handling.

Veracruz: another source of pressure

The port of Veracruz reported an average of 7.2 decimal hours , an increase of 12.5% ​​compared to July.

The increase reaffirms that modernizing infrastructure and customs processes remains a pending challenge for maintaining competitiveness in the Gulf of Mexico.

Competitiveness at stake

August’s performance shows that while some ports are managing to contain dwell times, others exhibit vulnerabilities that affect the logistics chain. The overall increase in the ITPAP to 8.6 decimal hours reflects a deterioration that, if sustained, could jeopardize Mexico’s efforts to consolidate itself as an agile foreign trade platform .

The evidence is clear: logistics productivity depends not only on infrastructure, but also on effective coordination between terminals, customs, and carriers. Every additional hour in port erodes competitive margins in a market where speed translates into confidence for global investors.

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El cargo Altamira puts pressure on port schedules; Manzanillo loses ground: ITPAP apareció primero en T21.

The performance of Mexican ports in July 2025 showed a respite in the efficiency of imported cargo trucking.

According to the Average Port Transportation Time Index (ITPAP) , prepared by T21 Business Intelligence, the national average dwell time was 7.9 decimal hours , which represented a -10.5% improvement compared to June. The measurement was based on 2,802 unit movements, a figure that lends statistical strength to the analysis.

This result breaks the upward trend of previous months, although a review of the performance of each port (Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz, and Altamira) reveals disparate realities that question the consistency of the overall improvement.

The ITPAP (Tax and Logistics Information Processing Unit) gathers monthly information provided by trucking companies and GPS vehicle tracking companies; it focuses on the average time tractor-trailers spend in storage, broken down into three critical categories during the cargo collection process: maneuvering, waiting, and customs.

Manzanillo: abrupt correction, but still with delays

The most important port in the Pacific drastically reduced its times from critical levels in June to 8.2 decimal hours (converted this way for comparison) in July , which represented an improvement of -35.94 percent.

While the correction is significant, it is not necessarily due to structural improvements, but rather to the release of flows following episodes of congestion at customs and maneuvers that occurred in previous weeks. The challenge is to maintain this reduction and avoid falling into cycles of collapse and relief during peak season .

Lázaro Cárdenas: rising red flag

Unlike Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas saw a sharp decline in its performance : the average service time reached 10.8 decimal hours, an increase of 22.73% compared to June.

This increase places it as the port with the worst indicator in the country during the month analyzed, which raises alarms considering its strategic role for automotive, steel, and container cargo. The increase suggests internal management problems and possible bottlenecks in port operations.

Veracruz: adjustments that ease the operation

In the Gulf, the port of Veracruz recorded an average of 6.4 decimal hours , equivalent to an improvement of -11.11% compared to the previous month.

The reduction is significant because it brings efficiency to a logistics hub that connects the manufacturing industry with the European and U.S. markets. However, specialists warn that there is still significant room for improvement in customs management .

Altamira: stability with slight improvement

For its part, Altamira reported an average of 6.0 decimal hours , with a monthly variation of -3.17 percent.

Although the adjustment is minor, it confirms the stability of this port in terms of operational processes. However, the improvement is not enough to radically differentiate it from Veracruz, its regional “competitor . “

The ITPAP trend makes it clear that the Mexican port system requires more than temporary adjustments: it needs customs digitalization, infrastructure strengthening, and management protocols that guarantee operational stability month after month.

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El cargo ITPAP July 2025: overall improvement, but differences between ports persist apareció primero en T21.

In view of the start of the peak season , a trucking unit took an average of 8.8 decimal hours last June to collect imported merchandise from the main ports in Mexico, which meant an increase of 10.7% with respect to the time recorded a month earlier, according to the Average Trucking Time Index in Ports (ITPAP) , carried out by T21 Business Intelligence.

The ITPAP was largely driven by the time recorded in Manzanillo, Colima, which averaged 12.8 decimal hours in the month under analysis (converted this way for comparison). This data reflects the operational crisis following the blockades imposed by customs officials in mid-May, which profoundly affected commercial activities at the port.

Manzanillo’s 12.8 decimal hours in June this year were 10.34% higher than the average time for May (11.6 hours).

Manzanillo is the busiest port in Mexico for container handling. Its connection to maritime routes with the Asian region makes it a key hub for the shipment and entry of goods. In the first half of this year alone, it received a total of 837,062 20-foot containers (TEUs) of imports , 1.4% more than the same period a year earlier, according to official data from the Mexican port authority.

The ITPAP (Tax and Logistics Information System) 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: waiting, maneuvering, and customs.

For the June 2025 registry, the ITPAP used as a reference the data of 2,653 motor transport movements in the analyzed ports (Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Veracruz and Altamira) , the busiest in Mexico, a significant sample with respect to the number of entries reported by the ports and with which it seeks to show the current situation of these maritime connection centers.

In this sense, the average time in Manzanillo was divided into 6.3 hours in customs, 3.8 hours waiting and 2.8 hours in maneuvers .

During his participation in the most recent virtual program “Origin and Destination ,” Héctor Venancio, general director of the Port Community of Manzanillo (Copoma) , listed the actions that have been implemented at the port to improve operations following the blockages in May.

He mentioned, for example, the implementation of X-ray machines during customs inspections ; the arrival of new customs operational personnel; the simplification of customs processes; and the automation of cranes at the various terminals, among others.

In the case of the other ports analyzed, average times also increased, with the exception of Altamira .

The port of Veracruz recorded an average time of 7.2 decimal hours last June, 7.2% higher than the previous month; Altamira , with 6.3 hours, showed a 5.9% reduction in time, according to the comparison months.

Meanwhile, the port of Lázaro Cárdenas , the second busiest in the Mexican Pacific, had an average record of 8.8 decimal hours, with a variation of 14.3 percent.

Understanding these figures takes on special relevance in Mexico’s current macroeconomic context, where logistics competitiveness is a determining factor for foreign trade growth and investment attraction.

Port dwell time directly impacts the sector’s productivity and, consequently, the country’s ability to meet global market demand . This indicator not only facilitates strategic decision-making for carriers and logistics operators, but also provides valuable input for designing public policies that boost the efficiency of Mexican ports.

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El cargo Ports in Mexico suffer “high tide” during times of attention to trucking apareció primero en T21.

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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El cargo Mexican ports improve service times for trucking apareció primero en T21.