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President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports threaten to disrupt Southern California’s trade and logistics economy, a sector that moves a third of the nation’s container cargo.

Imports at the busiest U.S. port should start declining as soon as May and are set to fall sharply in the second half of the year as punitive tariffs start to weigh on demand for foreign goods.

The Port of Los Angeles processed 801,398 20-foot equivalent units, a 2.5% increase from the 781,434 containers in 2024. This marked the second-busiest February on record for the port.

Cargo numbers continued to push higher at the Port of Los Angeles in February — but it came with some caution that the pace could slow by midyear due to tariffs and lower consumer confidence.

The busiest trade hub in the U.S. moved more containers last month than in any previous January, as importers rushed to bring in goods before President Donald Trump's potential tariff hikes.

U.S. ports capped off 2024 with solid growth, as most major facilities reported volume increases for December.

The busiest U.S. seaport finished 2024 with near-record trade volumes as tariff uncertainty and supply chain diversions brought a sustained wave of imports through Southern California.

The Port of Los Angeles is set for its busiest December on record, and the Port of Long Beach is on track to have its best-ever year after the hubs handled an early and sustained peak season.

The Port of Long Beach moved nearly 1 million containers in October, beating a record set just two months ago.

The first customers are set to be carriers operating at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — the largest two ports in the U.S. by import volume.