The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,026,872 twenty foot equivalent units in October, setting a record for the month and ranking as the second highest monthly total in the port’s history, officials announced on Thursday.
October marked the first time the port has surpassed 1 million TEUs in consecutive months, following September’s all time record, and the third million TEU month in 2026. No other US port has handled 1 million TEUs in a single month, the port said. From June through October the port processed nearly 5 million TEUs, the strongest five month stretch in its history.
Loaded imports reached about 538,620 TEUs, up 25 percent from last October and 30 percent above the five year October average. Loaded exports totalled 114,981 TEUs, down 7 percent, and the port handled 373,271 empty TEUs, a second consecutive monthly record, as carriers repositioned equipment to Asia.
Through the first ten months of 2026 the port processed about 9,108,497 TEUs, 5 percent ahead of last year and 9 percent above its five year average. Executive Director Gene Seroka attributed the run to consumer spending, retailer restocking, trade policy changes and disruption on other global routes.