Port Tampa Bay Adds Weekend Gate Hours for Truckers Through Harvest Season

Saturday gate hours extend to 6 p.m. through December, aimed at the fertilizer and citrus-season surge. Appointments still run through the port's booking system.

• Saturday hours extend from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. through December.
• The port cites fertilizer and citrus-season volume.
• TWIC and booking rules unchanged.

Port Tampa Bay will keep its gates open four hours later on Saturdays through December, a seasonal move aimed at fertilizer shipments and the start of citrus season.

For drivers, the practical change is simple: Saturday pickups and drops that used to race a 2 p.m. cutoff now have until 6. The port's appointment system still governs slots, and TWIC requirements are unchanged.

The port says the extension is a trial pegged to harvest-season volume and will be reviewed in January.