Trucking News · California · November 4, 2026

Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Both Set All-Time Container Records in September, and Port Truckers Felt a Busy Month, Transport Topics Reports

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach set all-time container records in September, Transport Topics reported in an article published Oct. 29, 2026, and updated Nov. 2. For truckers who haul containers out of San Pedro Bay, the figures come with longer dwell times.

The numbers

The Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest month on record, with container volume up 18.1% to 1,042,652 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) from 883,053 a year earlier. The Port of Long Beach also set an all-time record, with volume up 25% to 997,177 TEUs from 797,537. A TEU is the standard measure of container volume, equal to one 20-foot container.

Nationally, Descartes Systems Group reported that container imports rose 10.3% from a year earlier to 2,546,261 TEUs, the highest volume on record for September, though down 2.2% from August.

Dwell times

The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) reported that truck dwell at the Los Angeles and Long Beach complex rose 7.8% from the previous month to 3.18 days in September, and rail dwell rose 6.5% to 7.19 days. The report credited the increase to the ports handling record volumes and peak-season cargo. Natasha Villa of PMSA said, "Higher dwell times reflect the sheer volume of cargo moving through the complex, with rail dwell continuing to be the area of greatest pressure."

Cory Petersen of Circle Logistics, quoted by Transport Topics, put truck dwell at "just under three days," a slightly different figure from PMSA's 3.18 days. Petersen said rail-bound containers were sitting close to seven days, the longest of the year. He said boxes get converted to transload and over-the-road moves when rail backs up, "and that is where outbound capacity tightens first out of Southern California." In his firm's experience, tightness showed up on longer-haul lanes more than on local drayage, and the main constraint was finding qualified capacity.

Why the cargo went west

Petersen said the shift was driven by ocean routing, not consumer demand favoring Southern California. He pointed to Panama Canal water level restrictions, uncertainty over security at the Suez Canal and diesel prices, which he said pushed cargo toward the fastest transpacific lanes into San Pedro Bay.

Other ports

Transport Topics also listed September results elsewhere: the Northwest Seaport Alliance fell 8.1% to 265,692 TEUs, Port Houston rose 11% to 376,419 TEUs and the Port of Oakland rose 5.4% to 188,517 TEUs. Figures for the South Carolina Ports Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were not available when the article was published.

For more on the area, see Big Rig Daily's reports on the Los Angeles and Long Beach port watchmen strike deadline and California port truckers on diesel costs.

Quick facts

• Los Angeles: 1,042,652 TEUs in September, up 18.1%, a record.
• Long Beach: 997,177 TEUs, up 25%, a record.
• Truck dwell: 3.18 days, up 7.8% from the previous month, per PMSA.
• Rail dwell: 7.19 days, up 6.5%, per PMSA.
• U.S. imports: 2,546,261 TEUs, a September record, per Descartes.

FAQ

What is a TEU?

It is a twenty-foot-equivalent unit, a standard way to count container volume.

What does dwell time mean?

PMSA reports separate truck dwell and rail dwell figures for the Los Angeles and Long Beach complex.

Does this mean more work for port truckers?

The sources describe higher volume and longer dwell, and a tighter market for qualified capacity. They do not say what port truckers were paid.

A question for readers

Port and drayage truckers, did September feel like peak season arrived early, and how long were your waits?

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