The Port of Los Angeles moved 1.42 million TEUs in September, the busiest month in its 118-year history and the highest monthly volume ever recorded by a port in the Western Hemisphere. But Executive Director Gene Seroka warned that tariff uncertainty is complicating long-term planning for importers.
What Happened
September imports totaled 546,000 loaded TEUs, up 19% year over year and 26% above the port's five-year average. Exports rose 10% to 126,000 loaded TEUs, while the port handled a record 371,000 empty containers as carriers repositioned equipment to Asia.
July through September was the port's strongest quarter on record at nearly 3 million TEUs, and June through September moved nearly 4 million containers. Through September, 2026 volume stood at nearly 8.1 million TEUs, up about 3% from the same period in 2025. The port expects October volume of about 900,000 TEUs.
Seroka attributed the surge to lower tariff levels, resilient consumer demand, and cargo shifting away from constrained Panama Canal and Suez routes. He cited typhoon-related schedule disruptions in Asia, cargo roll pools before China's national holiday, and continued holiday-season replenishment as reasons volumes should remain elevated.
Background
Seroka said Vietnam is now the port's second-largest trading partner behind China, while Thailand has entered the port's top five for the first time. Vietnam-origin volume through Los Angeles has quadrupled over the past decade. China's share of port business has fallen from 60% to 40%, but diversification has been slower than many importers would like, he added.
Harvard Business School Professor Willy Shih, the briefing's guest, said companies are increasingly optimizing for options rather than lowest cost, because frequent policy changes make long-term commitments difficult. Shih said apparent shifts away from China often reflect changes in final assembly rather than a true reduction in upstream dependence, since Vietnam and Mexico still rely heavily on Chinese components. Building comparable supplier networks in Mexico could take about a decade, he said.
Impact on Shippers
For Chinese exporters to the U.S., record volumes at Los Angeles mean short-term pressure on terminal operations, particularly rail dwell times, which the port flagged as an area requiring close monitoring. Inland transfers may face delays. Meanwhile, carriers continue to reposition empty containers to Asia, indicating capacity remains tilted toward the transpacific lane and short-term space is relatively ample.
On cost, frequent tariff changes make it hard for importers to lock in long-term procurement and logistics plans. Purchase orders in Asia remain solid, but forecasting November and December volumes is difficult. Customs clearance uncertainty is also rising, requiring shippers to check commodity classification and tariff applicability more frequently to avoid extra costs from policy shifts.
Recommendations
Shippers should confirm space and inland transfer arrangements for October through December with logistics providers, and allow longer rail connection times for time-sensitive cargo. They should also closely track tariff policy changes, verify commodity codes and country-of-origin information, and consider diversifying origin and destination ports to reduce single-node risk. For policy-related arrangements, please refer to the latest official announcements.