Freightwaves: New month, near record for LA port volumes

The Port of Los Angeles processed 824,323 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) in February, second-busiest in port history and an increase of 3% from a year ago.

“Retailers and manufacturers brought in cargo ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, when many factories paused production in Asia,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a media briefing. “As we head into our traditional slack season, it will be followed by some replenishment of inventories, particularly spring and summer fashion goods.”

Seroka predicted March traffic would be flat ahead of measurable import gains in April. 

The outlook is shadowed by pervasive global uncertainty spurred by the Iran war, recent Supreme Court tariff rulings and trade policy shifts.

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.”

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.