Key numbers
US port congestion & dwell time (October 2026)
The headline numbers, each written as one sentence you can quote, with the date its data runs through and a citation. Free to republish with attribution — see the methodology. The charts behind these numbers are one click away.
LA/Long Beach import-friction read #
The import-friction read at LA/Long Beach is Flowing, a rules-based summary of its ship queue (week of Oct 19, 2026), truck planning-time index (Aug 2026) and loaded-import TEU (Jul 2026) versus their trailing-12-month normal (The Dwell).
About this data: The Dwell import-friction read, a composite of BTS supply-chain indicators · Import-friction read and the live metrics behind it · LA/Long Beach · through week of Oct 19, 2026
NY/NJ import-friction read #
The import-friction read at NY/NJ was Flowing on the latest monthly releases, a rules-based summary of its truck planning-time index (Aug 2026) and loaded-import TEU (Jul 2026) versus their trailing-12-month normal. BTS publishes no weekly ship queue for NY/NJ (The Dwell).
About this data: The Dwell import-friction read, a composite of BTS supply-chain indicators · Import-friction read and the monthly metrics behind it · NY/NJ · through Aug 2026
Savannah import-friction read #
The import-friction read at Savannah is Flowing, a rules-based summary of its ship queue (week of Oct 19, 2026) and loaded-import TEU (Jul 2026) versus their trailing-12-month normal (The Dwell).
About this data: The Dwell import-friction read, a composite of BTS supply-chain indicators · Import-friction read and the live metrics behind it · Savannah · through week of Oct 19, 2026
LA/Long Beach ships awaiting berth #
2 ships were awaiting berth at LA/Long Beach in the week of Oct 19, 2026, the live weekly queue from MARAD and the Marine Exchange. This is a ship queue, not a dwell time.
About this data: MARAD and the Marine Exchange, via BTS Supply Chain and Freight Indicators · Container ships awaiting berth · Queue count, not a dwell time · LA/Long Beach · through week of Oct 19, 2026
LA/Long Beach truck planning-time index #
The truck planning-time index around LA/Long Beach was 2.26 in Aug 2026, the latest month published, the FHWA drayage-window congestion signal (a value of 1.0 is free-flow).
About this data: FHWA National Performance Management Research Data Set, via BTS · Truck planning-time index · Road congestion proxy, not terminal turn time · LA/Long Beach · through Aug 2026
NY/NJ truck planning-time index #
The truck planning-time index around NY/NJ was 2.23 in Aug 2026, the latest month published, the FHWA drayage-window congestion signal (a value of 1.0 is free-flow).
About this data: FHWA National Performance Management Research Data Set, via BTS · Truck planning-time index · Road congestion proxy, not terminal turn time · NY/NJ · through Aug 2026
Los Angeles loaded imports #
Los Angeles loaded imports were 499,552 TEU in Jul 2026, the latest month published, the import-demand read (the port authority's number, re-published by BTS).
About this data: Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS · Loaded-import TEU by port, ranked; year-to-date and latest month; each port's loaded imports, loaded exports and empties · Import-demand ranking, not a congestion reading · The tracked US container ports · through Jun 2026
Long Beach loaded imports #
Long Beach loaded imports were 467,461 TEU in Jul 2026, the latest month published, the import-demand read (the port authority's number, re-published by BTS).
About this data: Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS · Loaded-import TEU by port, ranked; year-to-date and latest month; each port's loaded imports, loaded exports and empties · Import-demand ranking, not a congestion reading · The tracked US container ports · through Jun 2026
NY/NJ loaded imports #
NY/NJ loaded imports were 392,074 TEU in Jul 2026, the latest month published, the import-demand read (the port authority's number, re-published by BTS).
About this data: Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS · Loaded-import TEU by port, ranked; year-to-date and latest month; each port's loaded imports, loaded exports and empties · Import-demand ranking, not a congestion reading · The tracked US container ports · through Jun 2026
US vessel dwell at berth (archived) #
The US average container vessel dwell at berth, the AIS-derived ship metric BTS reported through mid-2023, last read 27 hrs. It is not box dwell and not the ship queue.
About this data: BTS Monthly Average Container Vessel Dwell Times, top 25 US ports · National average time a container ship sits at berth · Ship at berth, AIS-derived, not box or terminal dwell · National, top 25 US ports · through Jun 2023
Rail terminal dwell #
Rail terminal dwell across the Class I railroads averaged 20.9 hours as of October 10, 2026, the average time a railcar resides at an intermodal terminal (STB EP724, a railcar clock, not container dwell).
Busiest US container port (loaded imports) #
Los Angeles is the busiest tracked US container port by loaded imports, 3,175,443 TEU over the first 7 months of 2026. Across all 9 tracked ports, loaded imports are 14,168,807 TEU year to date (Charleston through June 2026), up 0.7% versus the same months of 2025. This ranks import DEMAND (loaded inbound boxes); it is not a congestion reading. Loaded imports rank import demand, not congestion (monthly TEU from the port authorities, via BTS).
About this data: Port authority monthly container statistics, republished by BTS · Loaded-import TEU by port, ranked; year-to-date and latest month; each port's loaded imports, loaded exports and empties · Import-demand ranking, not a congestion reading · The tracked US container ports · through Jun 2026
Ports tracked #
The Dwell tracks the ship queue, the truck planning-time index and monthly TEU across 9 US container ports from the public BTS record, updated as of October 23, 2026.
Looking for what dwell time means? These are the numbers. If you came for the definition, dwell time explained covers the three clocks the trade calls dwell and which one a given figure is measuring: vessel dwell at the berth, container (box) dwell on the terminal, and ships waiting offshore for a berth. A congestion figure only makes sense once you know which of the three it counts. Dwell time in trucking covers the driver-detention clock, which is a different measurement again, and demurrage, detention and free time covers what it costs when the clock runs out. For rail-bound boxes, port rail container dwell at Los Angeles and Long Beach puts the two ports' daily on-dock rail counts side by side, and container milestone tracking covers the timestamps a single booking shows, from vessel discharge to gate-out.