January 15, 2026
According to the latest data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.02 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units - one 20-foot container or its equivalent - in November, the latest month for which final data is available. That was down 2.3% from October and down 6.5% year over year.
Ports have not yet reported numbers for December, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.99 million TEU, down 6.6% year over year.
November and December are traditionally slow, but the year-over-year declines are partly because imports in late 2024 were elevated by concerns over port strikes. In addition, many retailers imported cargo earlier than usual in 2025 to avoid tariffs.
The first half of 2025 totaled 12.53 million TEU, up 3.7% year over year. The full year is forecast at 25.4 million TEU, down 0.4% from 25.5 million TEU in 2024.
With volume forecast at 2.11 million TEU, January is expected to see the first month-over-month increase since last July as retailers bring in merchandise prior to February's Lunar New Year holiday in Asia but would still be down 5.3% year over year. February is forecast at 1.94 million TEU, down 4.6% year over year; March at 1.88 million TEU, down 12.4%, and April at 2.03 million TEU, down 8.1%. May is forecast at 2.07 million TEU, up 6.2% for the first year-over-year gain since last August.
Source: NRF