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— Resource Guide

LA/Long Beach Port Facts and Figures Volumes and Dwell Times

This page tracks two numbers shippers ask about most: how many containers pass through LA/Long Beach each month, and how long import containers sit at the terminals before they leave by truck or rail. Figures are updated monthly from the ports’ own statistics and the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association.

— Data Through September 2026

At a Glance

Data through September 2026. Last updated November 3rd, 2026.

  • Import Dwell, Truck3.18 daysSeptember 2026, LA/Long Beach average. Source: PMSA
  • Import Dwell, Rail7.19 daysSeptember 2026, LA/Long Beach average. Source: PMSA
  • Port of Los Angeles1,042,652 TEUsSeptember 2026, a record month (preliminary). Source: Port of Los Angeles
  • Port of Long Beach997,177 TEUsSeptember 2026, a record month (preliminary). Source: Port of Long Beach
— PMSA Dwell Times

How Long Import Containers Sit at the Terminals

Dwell time is the number of days a loaded import container stays at the marine terminal after it comes off the vessel. The Pacific Merchant Shipping Association publishes a monthly weighted average for LA/Long Beach, split by containers leaving on a local truck and containers leaving by rail. In September 2026 the truck figure was 3.18 days and the rail figure was 7.19 days, both up from August. The truck figure is the highest since January 2025, and rail dwell has risen six months in a row.

Import Container Dwell Time at LA/Long Beach, Mar 2024 to Sep 2026
  • Truck: leaves the terminal on a local truck
  • Rail: leaves by on-dock or near-dock rail
  • Dashed: PMSA historical averages, as of May 2024
Line chart of average days an import container stays at the LA/Long Beach terminals. Truck: 2.59 days in March 2024, 2.47 to 3.25 days over the period, 3.18 in September 2026. Rail: 7.02 days in March 2024, 3.29 to 9.86 days, 7.19 in September 2026. Dashed lines mark PMSA's historical averages as of May 2024: truck 3.46 days, rail 7.61 days. Full values are in the data table below the chart.0246810Mar2024Jun2024Sep2024Dec2024Mar2025Jun2025Sep2025Dec2025Mar2026Jun2026Sep2026Rail historical average, 7.61 days (PMSA, as of May 2024)Truck historical average, 3.46 days (PMSA, as of May 2024)Line chart of average days an import container stays at the LA/Long Beach terminals. Truck: 2.59 days in March 2024, 2.47 to 3.25 days over the period, 3.18 in September 2026. Rail: 7.02 days in March 2024, 3.29 to 9.86 days, 7.19 in September 2026. Dashed lines mark PMSA's historical averages as of May 2024: truck 3.46 days, rail 7.61 days. Full values are in the data table below the chart.0246810Mar2024Sep2024Mar2025Sep2025Mar2026Sep2026Rail avg. 7.61Truck avg. 3.46

Source: Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), monthly San Pedro Bay container dwell times (opens in a new tab), for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Chart by Whisk Freight Brokerage.

Show the Data Table
Average import dwell in days at LA/Long Beach terminals, newest first. Source: PMSA.
MonthTruck (days)Rail (days)
September 20263.187.19
August 20262.956.75
July 20263.036.34
June 20262.895.43
May 20262.605.16
April 20262.595.06
March 20262.614.41
February 20262.555.10
January 20262.756.14
December 20252.475.14
November 20252.623.73
October 20252.743.31
September 20252.753.98
August 20252.734.98
July 20252.875.18
June 20252.553.29
May 20252.954.70
April 20252.784.72
March 20252.776.75
February 20252.818.00
January 20253.257.08
December 20243.116.53
November 20243.107.67
October 20243.169.86
September 20243.219.25
August 20242.958.20
July 20242.815.66
June 20242.704.73
May 20242.476.44
April 20242.504.55
March 20242.597.02

What Dwell Time Means for a Shipment

Longer dwell usually points to congestion at the terminal, on the rail side or in the appointment system, and it can use up the free time a container has before storage charges start. When rail dwell climbs, some shippers switch to truck or transload near the port to keep inland freight on schedule. Whisk Freight Brokerage arranges container drayage, transloading and over-the-road freight from LA/Long Beach and plans around current terminal conditions when quoting a shipment. See transload vs direct drayage.

— Port Statistics

Monthly Container Volumes at LA/Long Beach

Container volume is measured in TEUs, or twenty-foot equivalent units, so one 40-foot container counts as two. Both ports publish monthly totals around the middle of the following month, and the newest month is a preliminary estimate. In September 2026 Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 TEUs and Long Beach handled 997,177 TEUs, a record month at each port. Together, LA/Long Beach handled 2,039,829 TEUs, up 21.4% from September 2025. From January through September 2026 the two ports handled 15,756,881 TEUs, up 3.6% from the same months of 2025.

Monthly Container Volume, Jan 2025 to Sep 2026 (TEUs)
  • Port of Los Angeles
  • Port of Long Beach
  • Hollow point: September 2026, preliminary
Line chart of monthly TEUs. Los Angeles ranged from 716,619 to 1,042,652 TEUs and was 1,042,652 in September 2026. Long Beach ranged from 639,160 to 997,177 TEUs and was 997,177 in September 2026. September 2026 figures are preliminary. The vertical axis starts at 600K TEUs. Full values are in the data table below the chart.600K700K800K900K1M1.1MMar2025Jun2025Sep2025Dec2025Mar2026Jun2026Sep2026Sep 2026: preliminaryLine chart of monthly TEUs. Los Angeles ranged from 716,619 to 1,042,652 TEUs and was 1,042,652 in September 2026. Long Beach ranged from 639,160 to 997,177 TEUs and was 997,177 in September 2026. September 2026 figures are preliminary. The vertical axis starts at 600K TEUs. Full values are in the data table below the chart.600K700K800K900K1M1.1MMar2025Sep2025Mar2026Sep2026Sep 2026: preliminary

Vertical axis starts at 600K TEUs to show month-to-month change.

Sources: Port of Los Angeles container statistics (opens in a new tab); Port of Long Beach port statistics (opens in a new tab). Combined figures checked against PMSA port volumes (opens in a new tab). September 2026 figures are preliminary. Chart by Whisk Freight Brokerage.

Show the Data Table
Monthly TEUs, newest first. Sources: Port of Los Angeles; Port of Long Beach.
MonthLos AngelesLong BeachLA/Long Beach
September 2026 (preliminary)1,042,652997,1772,039,829
August 2026955,906919,9921,875,898
July 2026960,464928,5081,888,972
June 20261,002,734779,3311,782,065
May 2026840,164842,0301,682,194
April 2026890,861817,9921,708,853
March 2026752,520774,9351,527,455
February 2026824,323767,5251,591,848
January 2026812,000847,7651,659,765
December 2025791,588834,1191,625,707
November 2025782,249817,5611,599,810
October 2025848,424839,6711,688,095
September 2025883,053797,5371,680,590
August 2025958,355901,8461,860,201
July 20251,019,837944,2321,964,069
June 2025892,340704,4031,596,743
May 2025716,619639,1601,355,779
April 2025842,807867,4931,710,300
March 2025778,404817,4571,595,861
February 2025801,398765,3851,566,783
January 2025924,245952,7331,876,978
— Calendar Years

Annual Container Volumes Since 2019

Annual volume at LA/Long Beach dipped in 2023 and recovered in 2024 and 2025. In 2025 Los Angeles handled 10,239,318 TEUs and Long Beach handled 9,881,595 TEUs, the highest annual total for Long Beach in the years shown.

Annual Container Volume, 2019 to 2025 (TEUs)
  • Port of Los Angeles
  • Port of Long Beach
Grouped bar chart. 2019: Los Angeles 9,337,632, Long Beach 7,632,032. 2020: Los Angeles 9,213,396, Long Beach 8,113,315. 2021: Los Angeles 10,677,610, Long Beach 9,384,368. 2022: Los Angeles 9,911,159, Long Beach 9,133,657. 2023: Los Angeles 8,629,681, Long Beach 8,018,668. 2024: Los Angeles 10,297,352, Long Beach 9,649,724. 2025: Los Angeles 10,239,318, Long Beach 9,881,595.02M4M6M8M10M12M9.3M7.6M20199.2M8.1M202010.7M9.4M20219.9M9.1M20228.6M8.0M202310.3M9.6M202410.2M9.9M2025Grouped bar chart. 2019: Los Angeles 9,337,632, Long Beach 7,632,032. 2020: Los Angeles 9,213,396, Long Beach 8,113,315. 2021: Los Angeles 10,677,610, Long Beach 9,384,368. 2022: Los Angeles 9,911,159, Long Beach 9,133,657. 2023: Los Angeles 8,629,681, Long Beach 8,018,668. 2024: Los Angeles 10,297,352, Long Beach 9,649,724. 2025: Los Angeles 10,239,318, Long Beach 9,881,595.02M4M6M8M10M12M’19’20’21’22’23’24’25

Sources: Port of Los Angeles container statistics (opens in a new tab); Port of Long Beach port statistics (opens in a new tab) (2025); PMSA port volumes (opens in a new tab). Chart by Whisk Freight Brokerage.

Show the Data Table
Calendar-year TEUs, newest first. Sources: Port of Los Angeles; Port of Long Beach; PMSA port volumes.
YearLos AngelesLong BeachLA/Long Beach
202510,239,3189,881,59520,120,913
202410,297,3529,649,72419,947,076
20238,629,6818,018,66816,648,349
20229,911,1599,133,65719,044,816
202110,677,6109,384,36820,061,978
20209,213,3968,113,31517,326,711
20199,337,6327,632,03216,969,664
— Notes

How to Read These Figures

  • A TEU is a twenty-foot equivalent unit; a 40-foot container is two TEUs.
  • Loaded imports and loaded exports count full containers. Empties are containers with no cargo, most often being returned overseas or repositioned for reloading.
  • Dwell figures are monthly averages across all LA/Long Beach terminals. A single terminal or a single vessel can run well above or below the average.
  • Port figures are released around the middle of the following month; PMSA dwell figures usually follow within a few days.
  • The newest month at each port is a preliminary estimate and can be revised the next month.

Related Guides

— Sources

Sources

Charts are drawn by Whisk Freight Brokerage from the published figures. Checked November 3rd, 2026.

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