New month, near record for LA port volumes

Seroka, who worked in the Middle East as a liner exective, isn’t seeing disruptions to U.S. cargo flows from the current conflict, and doesn’t foresee any in the future, absent some dramatic changes.

The revival in truck rates seen in other U.S. regions has missed Southern California, according to SONAR data, as seasonal weak import demand leaves room for growth. 

The less-than-crushing volumes have helped port operations remain fluid, with truck turns averaging less than 60 minutes. In response to a question from FreightWaves, Seroka expects ample drayage capacity once import volumes start to climb. There are 20,000 drivers licensed to do business with the port, he said, with approximately 9,000 making at least one port trip per week.

Seroka, who recently visited a major supplier of automotive components in Michigan, said, “Manufacturing flows serving the United States continue to move, and we’re not seeing disruption to U.S.-bound cargo today.”

(Containerized imports that have cleared customs at the Port of Los Angeles in blue, booked TEUs inbound to Los Angeles in orange. Chart: SONAR. To learn more about SONAR, click here)

Los Angeles is currently served by 40 scheduled ocean services, and Seroka said some cancelled or blanked rotations are starting to return.

Loaded imports in February totaled 433,812 TEUs, up 5% y/y, while loaded exports were 116,633 TEUs, an increase of 7%. The hub processed 273,878 empty container units, an indicator of future imports, off 2% from a year ago.

Year to date, the port has handled 1,636,324 TEUs, 5% lower than the same period in 2025.

Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

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