Imports

With one year ending and a new one soon beginning, there is often a sense of a change or a fresh start coming. While that may sound good on paper, when it comes to the current state of the freight, or logistics, economy, it is more than likely that that prospects of meaningful shifts, or changes, in the current landscape, may not represent anything more than wishful thinking.

November U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,183,048 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 5.4% compared to October and saw a 7.5% annual decline.

Six months into the latest tariff wave, the US faces a widening gap between policy-driven optimism and the real-world challenges of restoring competitive, resilient domestic manufacturing.

The state of the North American intermodal market could be described as somewhat bifurcated, based on a presentation at last week’s RailTrends conference in New York by noted intermodal expert Larry Gross, president of Gross Transportation Consulting.

October U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,306,687 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—were off 0.1% compared to September’s 2,307,933 TEU and saw a 7.5% annual decline.

The Port of Los Angeles reported that total volume, at 883,053 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), fell 7.5% annually, and the Port of Long Beach reported that total September volume, at 797,537 TEU, was off 3.9% annually.

The firm reported that September imports, at 2.72 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), fell 5.8% annually, down from August’s 2.9 million TEU July’s 3.01 million TEU (which topped the 3 million TEU mark for the first time and came on the heels of a June decline, coupled with importers looking to optimize sourcing following the White House’s reciprocal tariffs related to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on most U.S. trading partners, which went into effect on August 7).

For the first half of 2025, Port Tracker said that total volume, at 12.53 million TEU, rose 3.7% annually, with calendar year 2025 expected to be down 2.9% annually, to 25.5 million TEU.

U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZs) continue to provide importers and exporters with duty deferral, export exemptions, and operational efficiencies, even as 2025 tariff policies—including reciprocal duties, higher Section 232 rates, and the end of de minimis—reshape the importing landscape. By leveraging FTZs, companies can manage costs, streamline compliance, and maintain global competitiveness while navigating evolving trade regulations.

White House imposes steep tariffs on trucks, furniture, and pharmaceuticals as legal challenge to trade powers looms

ng off of a record-setting July, United States-bound containerized freight imports saw annual gains, albeit at a reduced pace, according to data recently issued by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

August U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,519,722 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—decreased 3.9% compared to July (higher than the 3.0% decline for the same period a year ago) and were up 1.6% annually and 17.6% higher than pre-pandemic 2019.

The report observed that truckload (TL) activity accounted for 72% of second quarter broker activity, followed by Miscellaneous (which includes ocean, air, warehousing, and special services), at 14%, less-than-truckload (LTL), at 11%, and intermodal, at 3%.

July imports, at 3.01 million TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), headed up 3.7% annually, topping the 2.90 million TEU in July 20214, and cracking the 3 million TEU mark for the first time.

July U.S.-bound container import volume—at 2,621,910 TEU (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units)—increased 18.2% over June and were up 2.6% annually.