November 12, 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 2.37 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units - one 20-foot container or its equivalent - of loaded imports in September, the latest month for which final numbers are available.
That was up 3.4% from August and up 12.6% year over year to make September the busiest month of the year amid the extended peak. It was the third-busiest month since Global Port Tracker began keeping records, topped only by 2.39 million TEU in July 2025 and 2.4 million TEU in May 2022.
Ports have not yet reported October numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.26 million TEU, up 9.1% year over year. November is forecast at 2.05 million TEU, up 1.2% year over year, and December at 2.03 million TEU, up 1.3%.
Those numbers would bring 2026 to a total of 26 million TEU, up 2% from last year's 25.4 million TEU. The first half of 2026 totaled 12.7 million TEU, up 1.1% from the same period in 2025.
January 2027 is forecast at 2.04 million TEU, down 3% year over year; February at 1.89 million TEU, down 0.5%, and March at 1.92 million TEU, down 11.2%.
Source: NRF