The Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest month for cargo volumes in its 117-year history in July, as concerns over tariffs had retailers and manufacturers rushing to bring goods in ahead of the Trump administration's August deadline for sweeping reciprocal tariffs.

The Port of Los Angeles handled 1.02 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July, marking an 8.5% year-over-year increase, and just the second time a port in the Western Hemisphere has handled more than a million TEUs in a single month. The West Coast shipping hub also saw an 8.5% increase in import volumes for the month, as well as a 5.8% bump in exports.

"Shippers have been front-loading their cargo for months to get ahead of tariffs, and recent activity at America’s top port really tells that story," Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka said during an August 13 media briefing.

Meanwhile, Port operator and logistics service provider DP World reported strong container volumes for the first half of 2025 as well, with the company's revenue growing by more than 20% year-over-year, and container volumes rising by 5.6% on a like-for-like basis. However, DP World CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem noted in an August 14 release that ongoing geopolitical tensions, the continued closure of the Red Sea to commercial shipping traffic, and rising uncertainty from U.S. tariffs have all caused "significant disruption" across the industry. 

Cargo volumes also surged at the Port of Los Angeles in June, when it reported an 8% year-over-year increase, in addition to a 32% boost from May. At the time, Seroka predicted that volumes would likely begin to drop off starting in August, with reciprocal tariffs against dozens of nations going into effect on August 7. Rates now range between 15% for countries like Thailand, Pakistan, Taiwan and India, to as high as 39-50% for Switzerland, Myanmar, Laos, Syria and Brazil.