(Bloomberg) — Inbound shipments to the Port of Los Angeles — the busiest container hub in the US — dropped as much as 30% in early May as President Donald Trump’s tariffs discourage trade.
“Fewer containers mean less work on the waterfront, from the number of labor gangs that are out there responding to the shift requirements of cargo, to the truckers and warehouse workers,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said on a call with reporters Monday. “The impact was felt almost immediately during that first week of May.”
The drop in port activity came as importers and retailers — especially those with business in China — grappled with Trump’s tariffs announced in early April.
Before then, importers rushed to bring goods into the US to get ahead of the levies. Last month, the Port of LA handled roughly 843,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs, which marked an increase of 9.4% over April of last year, according to a statement from the port.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/la-port-shipments-fell-30-202911745.html