The flurry of cargo into the U.S. West Coast ahead of the East and Gulf Coast port strike has resulted in railroad delays out of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
In September, the Port of Los Angeles handled 954,706 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), marking a 27.6 percent increase from the previous year, with imports similarly surging 26.8 percent to 497,803 TEUs. The Port of Long Beach saw flat growth in container handling, processing 829,499 TEUs in September, while imports inched up 2 percent to 416,999 TEUs. The monthly totals capped off the busiest third quarter by volume on record at both ports.
Container dwell times at the ports reached their highest levels in 2024 this September, reflecting ongoing pressures from the pulling forward of goods ahead of the three-day strike.
Rail-destined cargo dwell time has seen a massive acceleration in recent months, rising to 9.25 days at the ports’ rail yards—a two-year high, according to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA). This nearly doubles 4.73-day rail dwell times from June and surpasses the September 2023 peak season high of 6.54 days.