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Transit time
Transit time is the time a shipment takes to be delivered once it is picked up from its point of departure. Carriers publish it differently: US LTL carriers in business days, excluding the pickup day, weekends and holidays; ocean lines in days between ports. It is only part of lead time, which also covers production and storage.
How carriers state it
| Carrier | How transit time is stated |
|---|---|
| Old Dominion (LTL) | Service days, not counting the day of pickup, weekends or holidays |
| FedEx Freight (LTL) | Business days, on service maps effective 16 March 2026; actual times may vary |
| Maersk (ocean) | Scheduled sailings — the relaunched FM1 departs Qingdao on 17 October and is due at Khor Fakkan on 16 November 2026 |
| Maersk ground freight | Estimates are indicative unless defined in a commercial agreement |
Ocean transit varies widely: Maersk tells shippers to plan for 30 to 45 days from China to Europe by container ship. Routes move it too — Maersk said in January 2025 that taking Algeciras out of its MECL service would improve transit times from India, Pakistan and the Middle East to the US East Coast by an average of 5 days.
Worked example: counting the days
LTL picked up Thursday, 3 service days: Friday (1), Monday (2), Tuesday (3) → delivered Tuesday, 5 calendar days later · Qingdao 17 October → Khor Fakkan 16 November = 30 calendar days port to port, before trucking at either endCounting rules from Old Dominion and FedEx Freight; the sailing is Maersk's FM1 schedule. The LTL shipment is illustrative.
The mistake people make
Mixing up the clocks. A quote in business days isn't calendar days, and port to port isn't door to door — Maersk notes that the time spent on water and the time a shipment takes from door to door are different. Promise customers a date built from lead time: order processing, the first mile, transit, clearance and the last mile.
FAQ
Transit time: common questions
- Does transit time include the pickup day?
- Not with US LTL carriers such as Old Dominion, whose service days exclude the day of pickup, weekends and holidays. FedEx Freight also shows transit times in business days.
- What is the difference between transit time and lead time?
- Transit time runs from pickup to delivery. Customer lead time, as Maersk defines it, runs from receiving the order to arrival, and includes production, shipping, storage and delivery.
- How long does shipping from China to Europe take?
- Maersk tells shippers to plan for 30 to 45 days by container ship. Door to door takes longer, because the time at sea and the time from door to door are different.
Sources
- LTL transit time search — Old Dominion Freight Line
- Service map, Columbia MO — FedEx Freight, 16 March 2026
- Sea freight guide — Maersk, 27 September 2023
- Lead time — Maersk, 9 October 2024
- Ground freight transit times — Maersk
- FM1 service relaunch — Maersk, 13 October 2026
- MECL service change — Maersk, 9 January 2025
Related terms
- ETA (estimated time of arrival)Term
- Schedule reliabilityTerm
- LTL (less-than-truckload)Term
- On-time in-full (OTIF)Term
- Last-mile deliveryTerm
On Traqo: Promise Accurate ETAs turns live position, halts and traffic into an arrival time.