Shipping ports from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast could shut down at midnight Tuesday if longshoremen make good on a promise to strike.

There are already signs of an impending job action at Port Newark, where operations have started to shut down.

At 12:30 p.m. Monday, the terminals started shutting down. This was five hours early, which was frustrating for truck drivers who don't get paid if they don't pick up containers pulled off of ships.

Mario Santiago drives for RPM Trucking.

“When I was in there, the line wouldn’t move. Once it started, they were voiding out the drivers - everyone had to get out of there,” Santiago says.

When he asked for a reason for being "voided out," Santiago was told, "No reason, they don’t tell you.”

Another driver told News 12 that he arrived at 6 a.m. and waited five hours to pick up a container. Normally, it would take an hour and a half.

RELATED: Longshoremen union threatens to go on strike Oct. 1 over wage dispute

Another sign that longshoremen could strike at midnight was at the corner of Export Street in Port Newark. The corner was fenced off for picketing. ILA union flags are waving overhead, a sound system was set up, along with portable toilets and lighting.

Longshoremen on the East Coast are making a base wage of $39 per hour. They want money equal to or more than the $55 per hour West Coast longshoremen are earning.

A strike would shut the port down, which would mean goods from overseas wouldn’t get delivered. Ships might wait it out in Newark Bay, while some will travel to the West Coast.

Labor analysts say the longshoremen out west could intentionally hold up work.

“There’s also the potential for not permanent but temporary solidarity actions that could further delay the unloading of those ships,” says Rutgers University professor Will Brucher.

“It’ll put a strain on the rail industry, it’ll put a strain on the trucking industry.”

There aren’t any negotiations currently taking place, although the U.S. Maritime Alliance has asked the Biden administration to force the union back to the bargaining table.

So far, that hasn’t happened. Previous coverage from Tony Caputo