Up Front
Supply chain disruptions may be easing, but freight volumes continue to stir anxiety in shippers.
Non-asset based companies join the field in this year’s Global Freight Top 50 list.
Get a continent-by-continent and country-by-country look at where the Top 50 Global Freight Companies are based.
Rankings
Port Data
| Rank | Port Name | City | Type of Freight | TEUs 2021 | TEUs 2020 | % Change | Freight Tonnage (metric tons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Port of Los Angeles * | Los Angeles | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger | 10,677,610 | 9,213,396 | 15.9% | 222,000,000 |
| 2 | Port of Long Beach | Long Beach, Calif. | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger | 9,384,368 | 8,113,315 | 15.7% | 196,386,014 |
| 3 | Port of New York and New Jersey ^ | New York | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automotive, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger | 8,985,929 | 7,585,819 | 18.5% | 112,216,428 |
| 4 | Port of Savannah ^ | Savannah, Ga. | container, break bulk, heavy lift, automobile, refrigerated | 5,613,163 | 4,682,249 | 19.9% | 39,419,938 |
| 5 | Ports of Colon, Cristobal and Manzanillo ** | Colón, Panama | container, liquid bulk, dry bulk, passenger, transshipping | 4,915,975 | 4,454,902 | 10.3% | |
| 6 | Northwest Seaport Alliance | Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. | container, break bulk, liquid bulk, dry bulk, automobile, heavy lift, special project cargo, refrigerated, passenger, air cargo | 3,736,206 | 3,320,379 | 12.5% | 27,363,475 |
| 7 | Port of Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, special project cargo, passenger | 3,678,952 | 3,467,521 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Port of Balboa/PSA Panama International Terminal | Panama Int'l Terminals, Panama | container, transshipping | 3,561,432 | 3,161,658 | 12.6% | |
| 9 | Port of Virginia | Norfolk, Va. | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile | 3,522,834 | 2,813,415 | 25.2% | 55,797,100 |
| 10 | Port Houston | Houston | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk | 3,453,226 | 3,001,164 | 15.1% | 40,399,937 |
| 11 | Port of Manzanillo | Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico | container, dry bulk, liquid bulk | 3,371,438 | 2,909,632 | 15.9% | 35,024,782 |
| 12 | Port of Charleston ^ | Charleston, S.C. | container, break bulk, dry bulk, automobile, refrigerated | 2,751,442 | 2,309,995 | 19.1% | 22,631,975 |
| 13 | Port of Oakland ^ | Oakland, Calif. | container | 2,448,243 | 2,461,262 | -0.5% | 17,635,455 |
| 14 | Port of Kingston | Kingston, Jamaica | container, heavy lift, liquid bulk | 1,975,401 | 1,611,637 | 22.6% | |
| 15 | Port of Montreal | Montreal | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, passenger | 1,728,114 | 1,600,000 | 8.0% | 34,023,135 |
| 16 | Port of Lázaro Cárdenas | Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, Mexico | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk | 1,686,076 | 1,063,675 | 58.5% | |
| 17 | Port of Freeport | Freeport, Bahamas | container, passenger | 1,642,780 | 1,231,703 | 33.4% | |
| 18 | Port of San Juan ^ | San Juan, Puerto Rico | container | 1,438,738 | 1,490,218 | -3.5% | 8,470,533 |
| 19 | Port of Jacksonville *** | Jacksonville, Fla. | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, heavy lift, refrigerated | 1,407,310 | 1,277,161 | 10.2% | 9,378,906 |
| 20 | Moín Container Terminal | Límon, Costa Rica | container | 1,319,372 | 1,213,431 | 8.7% | |
| 21 | Port Miami *** | Miami | container, passenger | 1,254,062 | 1,066,738 | 17.6% | 10,114,409 |
| 22 | Port of Veracruz | Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico | container, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile | 1,165,043 | 1,005,936 | 15.8% | |
| 23 | Port of Prince Rupert | Prince Rupert, British Columbia | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, special project cargo, passenger | 1,054,836 | 1,141,390 | -7.6% | 25,071,050 |
| 24 | Port Everglades *** | Broward County, Fla. | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, passenger | 1,038,179 | 945,512 | 9.8% | 21,346,991 |
| 25 | Port of Baltimore ^ | Baltimore | container, break bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk, automobile, refrigerated, passenger | 1,022,683 | 1,051,840 | -2.8% | 31,934,742 |
| NOTE: Data for the ports of Manzanillo (Mexico), Kingston, Lázaro Cárdenas, Freeport, San Juan, Moín Container Terminal and Veracruz are from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribbean. Data for the ports of Balboa, PSA Panama International Terminal, Cristobal, Colon Container Terminal and Manzanillo International Terminal are from the Georgia Tech Panama Logistics Innovation and Research Center. All other data is from respective port authorities. * Tonnage data for the Port of Los Angeles is from its fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. ** Includes data regarding the Panamanian ports of Cristobal, Colon Container Terminal and Manzanillo International Terminal; not to be confused with the Port of Manzanillo in Colima, Mexico. *** TEU and tonnage data for the Port of Jacksonville, Port Miami and Port Everglades is from their fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021. ^ Tonnage data for the ports of New York and New Jersey, Savannah, Charleston, Oakland, San Juan and Baltimore are from calendar year 2020, sourced from the United States Army Corp of Engineers. All other tonnage data is from calendar year 2021. |
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Extras
Last year saw air- and sea-freight volumes bounce back from supply chain struggles.
If your company appears in the 2022 list, you have a few ways to announce it. Visit our logo library to get web- and print-ready graphics.
Learn more about Transport Topics’ Top 50 Global Freight Companies publication.
Global Freight News
CK Hutchison Unit Seeks $2 Billion in Panama Ports Dispute
Panama Ports cites the Central American nation's “illegal state takeover” of the Balboa and Cristobal ports, and challenged a Feb. 23 executive decree it said authorized the seizure of its assets.
March 6, 2026Panama Surprised by Higher Canal Traffic Amid Trade Wars
Canal revenue increased 8%-10% in the first five months of its fiscal year 2026, which started in October, compared to the same period a year earlier. The canal saw a record $5.7 billion in FY 2025.
March 6, 2026Maersk Suspends More Container Services on Middle East Risks
Maersk will temporarily halt its FM1 Service, which connects the Far East to the Middle East, and its ME11 Service, which links the Middle East to Europe, according to a notice to customers on March 6.
March 6, 2026Strait of Hormuz Shipping Is at Near-Total Halt
A review of shipping signals have confirmed only two commercial transits in the past 24 hours, the Joint Maritime Information Center said in a note on March 6.
March 6, 2026CK Hutchison Port Sale Plan Stalls Ahead of Trump-Xi Meeting
CK Hutchison's plans to sell its global ports are at an impasse a year after the deal was announced, with hopes pinned on a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to yield a breakthrough.
March 6, 2026Amazon Web Outage Strands Customers
Amazon.com's website and mobile app malfunctioned for some users March 5, with critical features like product listings and checkout options producing error pages.
March 5, 2026USPS Taps Restructuring Advisers Amid Cash Crunch
The Postal Service hired consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal in recent days to develop a plan, Postmaster General David Steiner said March 4 in an interview.
March 4, 2026Shippers and Oil Traders Seek Details on Trump’s Convoy Plan
With ships unable or unwilling to transit the Strait of Hormuz, producers cannot export, supertanker costs are skyrocketing and storage at many Persian Gulf refineries is filling up fast.
March 4, 2026Kuehne + Nagel to Cut 2,000 Jobs as War Pressures Markets
The conflict in the Middle East creates additional unknowns. “The whole issue of supply chain reliability will become more important,” CEO Stefan Paul told journalists on March 3.
March 3, 2026Containership Giants Move Freight Away From Gulf Hot Spots
Some carriers are canceling bookings temporarily, skipping some port calls, warning of delays and implementing surcharges to transport containers through the conflict zone.
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