LA Port’s Container Surge Comes to an End

August trade volumes at the busiest container gateway in the US held near an all-time record set in July but are set to drop by 10% this month as President Donald Trump’s tariffs bite and trade war uncertainty continues to mount.

“We’ve already seen the peak of the peak,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “I expect container volume to ease through the rest of the year, especially against last year’s unusually high comps.”

US importers rushed to bring in goods through the end of 2024 — well after the typical peak season — in a race to get ahead of Trump’s promised tariffs and avoid the risk of a strike at East and Gulf Coast ports. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, says container volumes fluctuate depending on the state of President Trump's tariff policy.

Container volumes last month at the busiest US seaport held near an all-time record set in July as US businesses navigate changing tariffs and uncertainties from President Donald Trump’s trade war.

“We’ve already seen the peak of the peak,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. “I expect container volume to ease through the rest of the year, especially against last year’s unusually high comps.”

Seroka said the Port of LA is likely to see about 850,000 containers in September, about 10% less than the same month last year.

Trade volumes have been volatile this year as importers struggle with uncertainty of Trump’s trade war. For example, May imports at the Port of LA fell 19% from the month before after the president announced tariffs on goods from China reaching well over 100%. Many resumed shipments after Washington and Beijing agreed to extend a temporary de-escalation last month, when it became clear the relatively lower tariffs — averaging 50% on Chinese goods — would be in place until at least November.

But many small- and medium-sized businesses say they can’t keep up with the import taxes. A recent Freightos/Clearit survey of nearly 400 North American businesses found nearly three-quarters of them saw moderate or significant increases in landed costs, and almost half said they have cut down on shipping activity because of existing tariffs.

Cargo handlers at the Port of LA processed some 958,000 container units in August, according to port data released Wednesday. About 505,000 of those twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, were loaded with imports. Exports made up 127,000 TEUs last month — up 4.63% from the same month last year — and empty containers totaled 326,462, according to port data.

The Port of Long Beach, the number two port and sibling to neighboring Port of LA, had its second-best August on record, the port said in a statement Tuesday. Dockworkers and terminal operators handled nearly 902,000 total units, which included 440,318 imports and 95,960 exports. Empty containers at the port came in at 365,567 TEUs.

Imports to the US are expected to slow down for the rest of the year as Trump’s trade war continues to bite. A forecast from the National Retail Federation shows a steady decline in in-bound goods from September through December, and import volumes in January 2026 are projected to be 19% lower than the same month this year.

“Retailers have stocked up as much as they can ahead of tariff increases, but the uncertainty of US trade policy is making it impossible to make the long-term plans that are critical to future business success,” Jonathan Gold, the National Retail Federation’s VP for supply chain and customs policy, said in a statement last week.

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