LA and Long Beach Set All-Time Volume Records in September
West Coast port volumes surged in September, pulling freight away from Gulf and East Coast gateways and reshaping drayage demand for carriers serving the nation's busiest container terminals.
What drove the September volume surge at LA and Long Beach?
The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach set all-time records in September as a national shift in container volumes moved freight back to the West Coast. Trucking companies serving the two ports handled the highest monthly throughput in the history of both facilities, marking a reversal from the Gulf and East Coast routing patterns that had dominated earlier in the year.
The volume swing hit carriers serving Southern California drayage lanes hardest. Fleets that had scaled back West Coast operations to chase Gulf port growth now face capacity mismatches. Carriers with equipment positioned in Houston, Savannah, or Norfolk saw September load counts drop as shippers rerouted boxes through LA-Long Beach to avoid congestion and labor uncertainty at other gateways.
September's record comes four weeks after August container imports hit 2.3 million TEUs, which retailers called the peak of the 2026 import season. The West Coast share of that volume climbed through the month, pulling drayage rates up in the LA basin while leaving Gulf port lanes softer than forecasts suggested.
Why the West Coast won September freight
Shippers moved boxes to LA and Long Beach to sidestep two risks: potential labor disruptions at Gulf and East Coast ports, and chassis shortages that slowed turn times in Savannah and Houston through August. The West Coast offered faster vessel discharge, better rail connections to the Midwest, and a deeper pool of available drayage capacity after two years of market share losses to other gateways.
Carriers serving the San Pedro Bay ports saw spot rates for local moves climb as the volume spike outpaced available trucks. Fleets that kept equipment in Southern California through the summer benefited. Those that repositioned to the Gulf or East Coast paid deadhead costs to return or missed the surge entirely.
The September records also reflect front-loaded holiday inventory. Retailers ordered early to avoid tariff risk and potential supply chain snarls, compressing what would normally be a three-month import wave into six weeks. That timing mismatch left some carriers with too many trucks in the wrong markets when the volume hit.
What this means for drayage carriers now
October volumes at LA-Long Beach are running below September's peak, but still above 2025 levels. The question for small fleets is whether the West Coast holds its September share or whether freight shifts back to Gulf ports as labor and chassis issues resolve. Carriers with contracts tied to specific gateways face revenue swings either way.
Drayage rates in the LA basin remain elevated compared to the first half of 2026, but the September spike has cooled. Spot moves that paid $450 to $500 for a 40-mile radius in late September are back to $400 to $425 in early October. Contract rates have not reset to reflect the September surge, leaving carriers who rely on spot exposure with thinner margins as volume normalizes.
Fleets serving both coasts can arbitrage the shift, but repositioning costs eat into the advantage. A truck that moves from Savannah to LA loses a week of revenue to deadhead unless the carrier finds a backhaul, and westbound backhauls out of the Southeast remain scarce. The math works only for carriers with enough volume on both coasts to justify the move.
The broader freight picture
The West Coast volume shift coincides with tightening capacity signals elsewhere in the market. Reefer rejection rates hit 21% in October as fall harvest demand collided with diesel cost pressure, and second-tender loads now cost shippers 9% more as carriers turn down unprofitable freight. The LA-Long Beach records fit that pattern: shippers are paying more to move boxes where capacity is tight, and carriers are refusing freight where it is not.
For small fleets, the September port records are a reminder that volume does not always equal profit. The carriers who made money in September were the ones already positioned in Southern California or able to move equipment there without burning a week of revenue. The ones who chased Gulf port growth earlier in the year and could not reposition fast enough missed the surge.
The October cooldown suggests the West Coast advantage may be temporary. If Gulf and East Coast ports resolve their chassis and labor issues, shippers will route freight back to closer gateways to cut transit time and cost. Carriers betting on sustained West Coast volume through Q4 risk being caught out of position again if the shift reverses.
