26/11/25
Appointment Window Changes FAQ’s - Effective December 1, 2025
- What is the actual change?
APM Terminals will be moving from five x 2-hour appointment windows with a 30-minute tolerance at the front and back end to ten x 1-hour appointment windows with a 1-hour tolerance at the back end - Will I need to create a new TERMPoint account for this change?
No, there will be no changes to user accounts. - It’s impossible to time an arrival down to the minute. If a driver arrives 1 or 2 minutes early for an appointment, will the driver be voided out?
We understand that this change will be significant, and we are committed to minimizing the impact on truckers that may arrive a bit early or late, especially at the start. There is no change to how minor early arrivals (1–2 minutes) are treated today. The change is only to the number and length of windows — not to the current grace periods that are already in place. - This benefits the terminal so they can further meter the trucks, but how is this an “upgrade” for the trucking community?
This seems like more headaches for dispatchers.
The change is designed to reduce congestion and improve turn times by smoothing out peaks and eliminating overlapping arrivals between windows. With more appointment options throughout the day, dispatchers will have greater flexibility in scheduling and will see more consistent driver turn times. - How many additional appointments will be added once the new windows take effect?
This is still TBD. We will not know until we analyze truck flow and progress for a couple of weeks. We add appointments daily today, but it’s limited to certain windows, which are usually at the end of the day. With the new appointment windows, we plan to add even more appointments per day, and the number (or % by type) will be shared once finalized shortly after implementation. - Can APMT create a queueing area for trucks inside the terminal to alleviate congestion on the street?
Currently, there is no other possibility of creating a queuing space at APM. We encourage trucking companies to not dispatch truckers to the terminal before their actual appointment window start time. - Why can APMT turn us away for being a minute or two late, but we have no recourse when there aren’t enough appointments available or there are extended waits for a box?
The new appointment windows have a 1-hour late tolerance on the back end and no early arrival tolerance, which was part of this change. Per the New York Terminal Conference Tariff, truckers can bill marine terminals for delays. As noted on pg. 8 item #14 in the NYTC Tariff; longer than 150 minutes (single move) or 210 minutes (double move) Please see APM Terminals trucker detention process on our website under “practical information” or by visiting here: https://shorturl.at/yjK7M - When will APMT create real-time alerts when more appointments are added?
All available appointments are already displayed in real time within the appointment window drop-downs (shown in parentheses). These counts dynamically update throughout the day whenever additional slots become available. Because newly released appointments can be claimed almost immediately, alerts are generally ineffective and may actually disadvantage users. For the most up-to-date availability, users should rely on TERMPoint and check the system regularly, but we are currently reviewing options for an external notification feature. - When will APMT create a “waiting list” function for those who want to recapture appointments?
We are reviewing a reservation system-like process which will allow users to select preferred and secondary windows which, based on availability, will automatically book an appointment based on these parameters chosen by the TERMPoint user in advance. - Will APMT provide real-time info on traffic approaching the terminal, so we have a better idea of when to dispatch?
For example, can they include real-time alerts or camera views that indicate how long the current wait is to get from 13A to the gate? APM Terminals does not manage port traffic outside of the terminal as port roads are used by other marine terminals, warehouses and businesses in the port. There are already multiple outlets and alert systems providing traffic information such as Waze, Google Maps, Port Authority e-alerts, Bi-State Port Cameras website, etc. that we encourage port stakeholders to refer to as needed. - During times of heavy congestion, will drivers from an earlier time slot be prioritized over someone from the next time slot?
The 10 windows compared to 5 will allow the terminal to prioritize earlier arrivals much more than we do currently based on more controlled traffic flow in and out of the facility. Currently, most congestion occurs just before the start of each appointment window, which led to the development of this modification.