Drayage capacity tightens as import volume rises in June

Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest-ever June, with volume increasing 12% to 1,002,734 TEUs from 892,340. (halbergman/Getty Images)

The trucking companies serving the major ports across the country continued to see capacity tightening while also moving beyond difficult prior-year comparisons in June.

Descartes Systems Group noted in its monthly global shipping report that containerized import volume increased 8.2% from the prior year to 2,400,627 20-foot-equivalent units in June. It also declined 1.2% sequentially. The report noted that the results reflect the seasonal easing that typically follows import growth in May. The first half of the year was nearly flat from 2025.

“We’ve seen strengthening throughout the year of intermodal shipments, and specifically on the domestic side,” said Taylor Harrington, director of North America intermodal at C.H. Robinson. “The freight seems to be flowing very good, especially for the volumes that are coming in. The drayage market is definitely tightening up over the last several weeks.”

Harrington attributed the improvement to several factors, including the West and East coasts coming back into balance. The frontloading of cargo ahead of tariffs last year pushed more shipments than normal to East Coast ports. This also meant tougher comparisons at the start of this year since it was measured against the resulting surge of cargo ahead of tariffs in the prior-year period. He also pointed to ongoing capacity reductions as helping to bolster drayage operations.

“You’ve almost had this perfect storm where supply is fixing the drayage market,” Harrington said. “We’ve always seen a demand issue that has changed the market. In addition, you’re seeing the over-the-road is experiencing the same thing as the drayage market, and so you’re seeing that freight flow to intermodal, therefore sucking up more drayage.”

The Department of Transportation accelerated a decline in capacity by tightening enforcement of non-domiciled commercial driver licenses and English-language proficiency standards. Harrington pointed to the increased enforcement as one of the main reasons for the tightening, as well as increased volume, immigration enforcement and cost increases.

“I would also say that we’re seeing an increase in domestic intermodal and less [inland point intermodal],” Harrington said. “Most of this port business is being transloaded into [53-foot containers] because we have strong double-digit growth in June for the domestic intermodal market versus a pretty flat international intermodal.”

Port of Los Angeles reported its busiest-ever June, with volume increasing 12% to 1,002,734 TEUs from 892,340. It marked the third time monthly cargo volume has exceeded a million container units. This was driven by strong import demand as retailers and manufacturers navigate evolving trade policy, fuel costs and global supply chain uncertainty.

“We achieved these results without vessel backlogs or cargo delays,” said Gene Seroka, executive director at the Port of Los Angeles.

Seroka also noted that businesses have continued to adapt to an unusually dynamic trade environment by moving cargo whenever conditions are favorable rather than following traditional seasonal shipping patterns. Port of Los Angeles also reported a sequential increase of 19.3% from 840,165 TEUs in May.

“Project44 data shows sustained record-level Port of Los Angeles activity into July,” said Eric Fullerton, vice president of data insights at Project44. “In summary, the port is handling more cargo faster and maintaining strong throughput efficiency despite higher volumes, an impressive accomplishment for the port given current shipping circumstances.”

Project44 data showed that average daily active import shipments increased 13.2% in June and 19.7% in July when compared with conditions before the conflict with Iran. Import dwell times were also shown to have declined slightly despite higher volume. Fullerton warned that while this is a good sign for the port, it also means pressure moves downstream faster than before.

“Cargo velocity through the port translates directly into how quickly freight reaches drayage, truckload and rail networks inland,” Fullerton said. “For truckload carriers and brokers, that means the surge isn’t just a port story, it’s a capacity story that’s already working its way inland, and one that will keep building as long as import volume holds at these levels.”

Other major seaports reported mixed results for the month.

• Port of Long Beach reported that container volume increased 10.6% to 779,331 from 704,403.
• The Northwest Seaport Alliance reported that container volume decreased 4.4% to 262,546 from 274,537.
• The South Carolina Ports Authority reported that container volume decreased 3.5% to 199,694 from 206,907.
• Port Houston reported that container volume increased 18% to 389,962 from 331,864.
• Port of Oakland reported that container volume increased 7.7% to 181,356 from 168,460.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did not have its monthly volume numbers available at press time.