Port Volume Rebounds to Its Highest Level in Three Years

The port handled 412,000 containers in September, up 12 percent from a year earlier and the busiest month since 2023, port officials said Friday. Ships waited in a line offshore for the first time in more than a year, cranes ran through the night and the long rows of stacked steel boxes along the waterfront grew taller by the week as retailers rushed to get holiday merchandise onto store shelves.

Imports of furniture, electronics and toys led the increase as retailers moved holiday inventory earlier than usual. Exports rose too, though more modestly, led by farm products, lumber and scrap metal. Port officials described the month as a strong rebound after a stretch of slower traffic that began in early 2024.

Why September was so busy

Several factors came together. Retailers, still cautious after supply chain troubles earlier in the decade, have been ordering holiday goods earlier each year to avoid running short. Some importers also moved shipments forward to get ahead of possible changes in trade rules and shipping rates later in the year.

Port economist Jerome Tate said the pattern has shifted noticeably over the past few years. “The holiday rush used to peak in October,” he said. “Now a lot of it lands in August and September. Retailers would rather pay to store goods for a few extra weeks than risk empty shelves in December.”

What came off the ships

According to port data, the biggest categories by volume in September were:

• Furniture and home furnishings, including sofas, mattresses and outdoor sets
• Consumer electronics such as televisions, laptops and gaming accessories
• Toys and games, which nearly doubled from August
• Clothing and footwear for the winter season
• Auto parts and home improvement supplies

Officials said the increase in toys was especially striking and suggested that retailers expect strong holiday demand this year.

Jobs on the docks

Longshore hours rose by a similar amount, and two terminals added weekend shifts to keep up. For dockworkers, crane operators and clerks, that has meant more overtime and steadier paychecks after a slow first half of the year.

Marcus Bell, who has worked as a crane operator at the port for 16 years, said September felt like the old days. “When the boxes are moving, everybody’s working,” he said. “You can feel it in the whole neighborhood. The diners are full at 6 a.m., the gas stations are busy and people are making car payments on time.”

The local longshore union said it brought in additional casual workers to cover the extra shifts, and several terminal operators said they are hiring mechanics and equipment operators ahead of what they expect to be a busy fall. Port officials estimate that tens of thousands of jobs in the region are connected in some way to port activity, from warehouse workers to railroad crews.

Trucks kept moving

One of the biggest concerns during past surges was congestion at the gates. In earlier busy periods, truck drivers sometimes waited three or four hours to pick up a single container, losing pay while they sat in line. This time, truckers said wait times at the gates have stayed under an hour.

Port officials credit several changes made over the past two years, including an appointment system that lets drivers reserve pickup times in advance, extended gate hours on weekdays and a new staging yard where empty containers can be dropped off without entering the main terminals.

Two years ago, a day like this would have been a nightmare. Now I can do three or four turns a day instead of one or two. That’s the difference between a good week and a bad one.

Teresa Montoya, independent truck driver

Rail traffic also increased, with the port’s on-dock rail yard sending more trains inland to distribution centers in the Midwest. Railroad officials said they added cars to several regular routes to handle the volume.

Warehouses filling up

The surge has also rippled into the region’s warehouse district, a sprawl of distribution centers along the freight corridor east of the port. Several warehouse operators said they are close to full and have begun turning away short-term storage requests. Others are renting overflow lots and parking trailers on site to hold containers until space opens up.

Warehouse manager Dennis Arroyo, who runs a 600,000-square-foot facility for a group of home goods importers, said his crews have been working 10-hour shifts six days a week since late August. “We’re unloading furniture in September that won’t hit a showroom until Thanksgiving,” he said. “Nobody wants to be the store that ran out of sofas on Black Friday.”

Staffing agencies in the area reported strong demand for forklift drivers and pickers, with some warehouses offering signing bonuses to attract workers for the fall season. Several said they expect much of that seasonal hiring to continue into December.

What it means for shoppers

For consumers, the September surge is generally a good sign. A steady flow of goods tends to mean fuller shelves and fewer shortages during the holidays. It does not necessarily mean lower prices, Tate cautioned, since many other factors affect what stores charge. But it suggests that retailers are confident enough in holiday demand to stock up.

A busy September usually means a busy December in the stores. That’s good news for a lot of families here.

Sandra King, Port Authority

King, who oversees trade development for the port, said the surge also helps the port’s own finances. Fees from shipping lines and terminal operators pay for maintenance, security and long-term projects such as dredging the channel and electrifying cargo equipment.

Signs to watch this fall

Port officials said they expect volume to remain strong in October before tapering off in November, as is typical once holiday goods are in place. But they noted several uncertainties that could affect the months ahead.

1. Consumer spending. If shoppers pull back, retailers may order less for spring.
2. Shipping rates. Rising costs to move containers across the ocean could slow imports.
3. Weather. Winter storms can delay ships and close terminals for short periods.
4. Trade policy. Changes in tariffs or trade agreements could shift cargo to other ports.
5. Labor talks. Contract negotiations at other ports could send ships here, or away.

Tate said the port has prepared for another strong month but is not assuming the pace will continue indefinitely. “We’ve learned not to plan for the best case,” he said. “We plan for a range and hope we land near the top of it.”

Key takeaway: September’s 412,000 containers made it the busiest month at the port since 2023, bringing more work to the docks and suggesting stores expect a strong holiday season.

Looking ahead

The port is in the middle of a five-year plan to expand one of its terminals and add zero-emission cargo equipment. Officials said the strong September numbers reinforce the case for that investment. They expect to release October figures in mid-November, along with an updated forecast for the rest of the year and early projections for the spring shipping season.

For now, the line of ships offshore has started to shrink, and the cranes are getting a little more rest at night. But on the docks, workers are already talking about next year. If the pattern holds, they said, the holiday rush will arrive even earlier, and they plan to be ready for it.