The Port of Los Angeles handled 752,520 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in March 2026, 3% fewer than a year earlier, the port reported on April 13. First-quarter volume came to 2,388,843 TEUs, which the port said matches its five-year average for the period.
Loaded imports were 380,733 TEUs, 1% below March 2025. Loaded exports rose 7% to 132,129 TEUs, the port’s best export month since May 2024. Empty containers fell 11% to 239,658 TEUs. The port tied the softer year-over-year comparison to early 2025, when importers pulled cargo forward ahead of expected tariff increases, and to the usual slowdown around Lunar New Year. Logistics Management put the quarter 4.6% below the first quarter of 2025.
“Even with the seasonal slowdown tied to Lunar New Year, cargo flow in March was solid and our first quarter performance was consistent with our five-year trend,” Executive Director Gene Seroka said in the port’s release. He also named unsettled tariff policy, rising inflation and the wider effects of the conflict in the Middle East, fuel prices in particular, as pressures on consumers and companies.
What it means for shippers
- A normal-pace quarter is the time to tighten your routine. Volume in line with the five-year average points to terminals working at an ordinary rhythm. Use it to get the basics right on every container: customs release, freight release and a terminal appointment in hand before the last free day.
- Exporters should book early. The strongest export month in almost two years means more loaded boxes heading into the terminals. Confirm the earliest receiving date and the cutoff for your vessel before a truck is dispatched.
- Watch the fuel line on your quotes. The port itself flagged fuel prices. Ask your carrier how the fuel surcharge on harbor moves is calculated and how often it is updated, so a change does not arrive as a surprise on the invoice.
- Expect import timing to keep shifting. With tariff policy described as unsettled, order patterns can change quickly. Tell your customs broker and your drayage carrier as soon as you decide to pull a shipment forward or hold it back.
The March figures describe a port that is busy but not strained, which is when planning ahead pays off most: the importers who set up pickup details early are the ones who avoid storage charges when volume climbs again.
Go Trucking Services handles drayage, including container pickup and delivery at LA Harbor, for importers and exporters. See our drayage service or request a quote on the home page.
Sources:
- Port of Los Angeles: Port of Los Angeles Posts Solid First Quarter Performance (April 13, 2026)
- Logistics Management: POLA, POLB close out Q1 on strong footing as tariffs and global tensions cloud outlook (April 16, 2026)
Image: Evan Blaser, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
