The Port of Los Angeles processed more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units in June, marking the highest volumes the port has ever seen in that month.

According to a July 15 briefing, June was also the port's third strongest month on record, and the third time it has ever crossed the 1 million TEU threshold. Much of that was driven by a surge in imported cargo, with the Port of Los Angeles handling 530,000 TEUs in imports. That represented a 13% year-over-year increase, while coming in 18% above the port's five year average.

"Companies have stepped away from seasonal shipping patterns," said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, due in large part to a constant state of uncertainty stemming from Trump administration tariffs, instability in the Middle East, and fluctuating fuel costs. As a result, he explained, retailers are making strategic decisions about how and when to ship goods, and moving cargo when they see an opening, instead of waiting for typical peak shipping periods to arrive.

At the halfway point in the year, the Port of Los Angeles has moved 5.1 million TEUs over the last six months, putting it 3% ahead of last year's pace, and 4% above its five-year average. For the second half of 2026, Seroka expects to see a "dynamic cargo environment," as businesses wait for more details from the Trump administration regarding plans for new tariffs after existing Section 122 levies expire on July 24. 

The ongoing conflict in Iran also continues to make it difficult to accurately predict what the rest of 2026 might bring for transportation networks, Seroka added.

"There's much more work to do, even if this war ended today," he noted, given that it will likely take months for Middle Eastern fuel capacity to ramp back up following a potential ceasefire.