The Port of Los Angeles (Port of LA)—one of North America's busiest cargo gateways—reported strong volumes in August after record numbers in July, as shippers moved goods ahead of the traditional peak season, anticipating potential changes in trade policy.

The port handled 958,355 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), nearly the same as last year's performance.

Month-on-month, however, this is lower than the 1,019,837 TEUs that the port recorded in July, which was the busiest month on record in the 117-year history of the Port of Los Angeles.

"The Port of Los Angeles moved nearly 2 million containers in July and August combined," said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles.

"That's the best two-month stretch for any port in the Western Hemisphere. Retailers and manufacturers have continued to bring goods in early, both to get ahead of holiday demand and to hedge against any shifts in trade policy."

 [Source: Port of LA]

Looking ahead, the Port of Los Angeles chief anticipates a slowdown in cargo volumes for the remainder of the year, as early shipments have already moved through and frontloading activity tapers off.

"Looking forward," Seroka said, "I expect container volumes to ease through the rest of 2025—especially against last year's unusually high benchmarks."

"That's because much of the year-end holiday cargo has already arrived. And economic signals like slowing job growth and lingering inflation are making both importers and consumers a bit more cautious."

August 2025 loaded imports came in at 504,514 TEUs, 1% less than last year.

Loaded exports landed at 127,379 TEUs, a 5% improvement from 2024. The Port processed 326,462 empty container units, 1% less than last year.

Eight months into 2025, the Port of Los Angeles has already handled 6,934,004 TEUs, 4.5% more than the same period in 2024.

 In 2024, the port handled a total of 10.3 million container units.