
Search our collection of articles, blogs, resources and more to stay informed on the goods movement sector.
Preliminary July 2025 TEUs
July 2025 TEU report: LA and Long Beach hit record volumes while Oakland and Vancouver surge. Explore U.S., Canada & Mexico port trends.
The China Trade
USWC ports see steep drop in China trade—imports down over 25% and exports off more than 65% since pre-COVID levels.
Trucking a Container in California Can Cost 35% More Per Gallon of Diesel Than in Houston
California truckers face record diesel prices, paying 35% more than Houston and far above East Coast and Gulf Coast averages. Diesel for drayage in California tops $5/gal, driving up trucking costs at LA, Long Beach, and Oakland ports.
June 2025 TEUs
June 2025 TEU data reveals key shifts in U.S., Canadian & Mexican port volumes, West Coast shares, and global container trade trends.
That Big Box on the Road
The story behind 53-foot containers on U.S. highways—how the 1982 STAA law and Rep. Glenn Anderson changed trucking forever.
The Lumpy USWC Share of Recent U.S. Container Trade
West Coast ports see volatile market share in U.S. container trade as tariffs, labor risks, and East Asia imports drive shifting cargo flows.
Who’s Number One?
Normally, the Port of Los Angeles is the nation’s busiest container gateway. Still, from time to time, the Port of New York/New Jersey (PNYNJ) lays claim to the title, invariably causing the East Coast media to break out the celebratory sparklers. The contest for the nation’s top container port is typically framed in the media as a rivalry between PNYNJ and the Port of LA, the Yankees vs. the Dodgers, if you will.
Preliminary June 2025 TEUs
On July 9, the National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker projected that 2.06 million TEUs laden with goods from abroad would arrive in June at the thirteen U.S. mainland ports it surveys.
Is the USWC Marketshare of U.S. Container Trade Winding Down?
Explore whether the U.S. West Coast’s share of container trade is declining, examining recent trends, stats, and implications for port competition.
The USWC’s Diminishing China Export Trade
Through the first five months of 2025, containerized export tonnage from U.S. West Coast ports to China and Hong Kong plunged by 42.1% from the same period a year earlier and by 61.4% from the same months in 2019.
Japan’s Container Trade with the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle
Once upon a time, Japan was the primary overseas trading partner of the ports that now operate as the Northwest Seaport Alliance. Indeed, Japan was the leading U.S. trading partner for containerized cargo, according to a 1980 report from the U.S. Maritime Administration.
May 2025 TEU
Exhibits 1-3 display the May TEU counts for the North American ports PMSA monitors. (Note that May figures for the Port of Baltimore were unavailable by our publication deadline.) At the remaining U.S. ports, the year’s fifth month saw the number of inbound loaded TEUs decline by 6.4% from a year earlier to 2,018,951 TEUs as confusion over tariffs prompted importers to slow the build-up of inventory.
Preliminary May 2025 TEUs
Discover the latest preliminary container volumes for May 2025, revealing emerging shifts in port trade dynamics. This update highlights trends across major West Coast, East Coast, Gulf, and Canadian ports, offering a snapshot of loaded and empty TEU activity.
America's Favorite Fruit: The Banana's Journey to Your Grocery Aisle
Trace the journey of America’s favorite fruit—from tropical plantations to supermarket shelves. This article delves into banana production, shipping logistics, and trade dynamics shaping the fruit’s path to your grocery cart.
West Coast Tree Nut Export Trade
Explore West Coast tree nut exports in this data-rich analysis. From almonds and pistachios to walnuts, discover port-specific volumes, top global destinations, and how tariffs and logistics shape California’s vital agricultural trade.
Revisiting the Numbers on Reversions to Historic Norms
Dive into a data-driven analysis of how container trade is reverting to long-term patterns. This article examines historical norms, trends in empty vs. laden TEUs, and what these shifts reveal about global trade stability and U.S. export competitiveness.
April 2025 TEUs
April 2025 container data reveals shifting trends at North American ports, with West Coast gateways seeing modest growth and Gulf ports continuing to outperform. Explore key TEU stats and trade insights.
Shifting Currents: Air Freight Surges as Container Trade Reverts to Norms
Everyone knows that importers striving to avoid impending tariff increases brought in a passel of products during the first quarter of this year. In every media outlet from print newspapers to gubernatorial podcasts, images depicting seaport operations are used to frame reports about the nation’s foreign trade.
March 2025 TEUs
At the U.S. ports we track, the year’s third month saw the number of inbound loaded TEUs increase 11.6% from a year earlier to 2,276,719 TEUs as the prospect of higher tariffs spurred importers to load up on inventory. Collectively, outbound loads from those same U.S. ports edged up by 3.6% from March 2024 to 1,123,083 TEUs.
Shifting Coastal Shares of U.S. Containerized Import Traffic
U.S. West Coast ports saw a drop in containerized import market share this spring. Explore shifting coastal trends, export transport modes, and 2024’s trade data breakdown.