San Pedro Bay Dwell Times Climb on Record Volume: What Importers Should Do
Los Angeles and Long Beach just posted their busiest September ever, and containers are sitting longer. Here is how importers should plan the last weeks of 2026.
In this report 9 sections
San Pedro Bay dwell times rose in September as the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled record volume. Truck dwell reached 3.18 days and rail dwell 7.19 days. Importers should expect slower container pickup into November, book trucks and chassis early, and build extra days into any holiday-critical delivery schedule.
Dwell time is the number that tells you how congested a port really is. It measures how long a container sits in the terminal after discharge before it leaves by truck or rail. When that number climbs, every downstream promise gets harder to keep. Laneage tracks port and rail data for shippers, and this guide is for importers with cargo still arriving through Southern California this year.
What Do the September Dwell Numbers Actually Show?
Dwell times rose at both ports last month. According to Supply Chain Dive, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) reported truck dwell of 3.18 days in September, up from 2.95 days in August. Rail dwell climbed from 6.75 days to 7.19 days.
The increase looks modest in percentage terms. Truck dwell rose about 8%, and rail dwell about 6%. But dwell compounds. A container that sits an extra half day at the terminal can miss a rail cutoff, and a missed cutoff often means a full extra day before the next train.
Natasha Villa, a senior manager at PMSA, described rail dwell as "the area of greatest pressure." That detail matters if your freight is bound for Chicago, Dallas or anywhere else beyond the Los Angeles basin.
Why Did Volume Hit Records in September?
Volume hit records because several pressures landed in the same quarter. The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 TEUs in September, its busiest month in 118 years, according to Container News. Loaded imports rose 19% year over year to 545,696 TEUs. Long Beach, meanwhile, processed 997,177 TEUs, its busiest month in 115 years.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka credited steady consumer demand, importers restocking inventory and cargo shifting to Los Angeles as shippers deal with trouble on the Suez and Panama Canal routes. He also noted that tariffs are lower than earlier in the year, which gave importers more cost certainty. Supply Chain Dive adds the approaching expiration of the U.S.-China trade truce, and higher diesel costs, to the list.
Empty containers also matter. The Los Angeles port moved about 371,206 empty TEUs in September, the highest monthly total in its history. Empties compete for the same yard space and chassis as loaded boxes, so they slow the whole terminal even though nobody is waiting on them.
Where Does the Congestion Actually Build Up?
Congestion builds where two flows meet and one cannot absorb the other. Ships discharge on a fixed schedule, but trucks and trains pick up containers on their own schedules. When ship arrivals bunch up, yard stacks grow taller and finding a specific container takes longer.
Terminal operators think about this in three layers:
- The vessel side, where cranes can only lift so many boxes per hour.
- The yard, where stack height and container mix decide how quickly a box can be reached.
- The gate and rail ramp, where trucks and trains pull cargo out.
Rail is the tightest layer right now. A train has fixed length and a fixed departure time, so there is no squeezing in a late container. If rail dwell is already above seven days, shippers relying on intermodal service should expect longer waits than their quotes assume.
Earlier this fall, our report on West Coast port congestion easing unevenly flagged that conditions differ by terminal and by day. September's numbers show how fast that can change when volume jumps.
How Long Will the Slowdown Last?
The slowdown should ease in November, but not instantly. The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates' Global Port Tracker suggests peak season may be ending. Jonathan Gold, the NRF's vice president of supply chain and customs policy, said that "even with any fluctuations in final data, we're likely past the busiest part of the year."
Seroka struck a more cautious note at an October 9 media briefing. He said the combination of events means volume will probably stay a little more elevated than normal. In other words, retailers have most of their holiday goods, but the ports still have to clear what arrived.
The trade truce deadline is the wild card. Importers who rush cargo ahead of a possible tariff change can push volume up again with little warning. Plan for a gradual easing, not a cliff.
What Should Importers Do Right Now?
Importers should protect the shipments that matter most and loosen the schedule on everything else. Start with an honest list of which containers are truly holiday-critical and which can arrive a week late without hurting sales.
The steps below apply to most importers moving through San Pedro Bay.
- Confirm last free day and per diem terms for every container before it discharges.
- Book drayage appointments the moment a container is available, not when it is convenient.
- Ask your drayage provider whether chassis are secured, since a missing chassis stalls pickup.
- For inland-bound freight, ask your forwarder about rail ramp cutoffs and the expected release date.
- Add two to four extra days to delivery promises on anything routed by rail.
- Move non-critical containers to later vessels, if the schedule allows.
Demurrage and detention charges are the hidden cost of dwell. When a container misses its free time because the terminal was backed up, the charge still lands on someone. Dispute fees in writing and with timestamps, since proof of terminal delays is the strongest argument you have.
Which Importers Feel Dwell the Most?
Importers shipping inland feel it most, because rail dwell is the longest number in the report. A container headed to a Midwest distribution center waits for the terminal, then waits for the train, then waits again at the destination ramp. Each step can add a day.
Smaller importers also feel it more than large ones. Big retailers hold dedicated drayage capacity and chassis pools, so their containers tend to move on schedule. A small brand booking trucks one load at a time competes for the same trucks on the same morning as everyone else.
Perishable and time-sensitive goods carry the most risk. Even one extra day can affect a seasonal product that has to be on shelves by a set date. If that describes your cargo, ask your forwarder about premium truck options, and weigh the extra fee against the cost of missing the window.
How Does This Affect Rates and 2027 Contracts?
Higher dwell and strong volume give carriers and truckers more pricing power, at least for now. Our look at how transpacific rates have peaked ahead of 2027 contracts argued that importers should use the softening trend to negotiate. Port friction can blunt that leverage in the short run, because accessorial charges such as storage and chassis fees rise even when ocean rates are flat.
When you review quotes, compare the all-in cost to your warehouse door, not just the ocean rate. Our guide to negotiating freight rates with real leverage explains how to ask for fee caps and appointment guarantees alongside price.
Rail-heavy shippers should also look at the broader trend. Intermodal volume is growing this year, which adds to the load on rail ramps. We covered the bid implications in our report on intermodal volume and 2027 freight bids.
What About the Longer Term?
Longer term, the industry is adding capacity, but slowly. The Georgia Ports Authority has just won a federal permit for a 3.5 million TEU container terminal in Savannah, with construction due to start in January 2028. That is years away, and it shows how long port capacity takes to build.
In the meantime, Southern California handles the surge with the infrastructure it has. Shippers who diversify their routing across coasts have more options when one gateway tightens. That does not mean abandoning Los Angeles, which remains the largest gateway for Asian imports. It means having a tested alternative before you need one.
One more habit helps. Keep a simple log of each container's discharge date, pickup date and any fees charged. Over a few weeks the log shows which terminals, trucking partners and routings cost you the most time, and it gives you real evidence for the next contract conversation instead of a vague feeling that the port was slow.
What This Means for the Rest of 2026
September's dwell numbers are a warning, not a crisis. Containers are moving, but they are waiting longer, and rail is the slowest link. With most holiday merchandise already in the country, the pressure should ease through November, as long as no new tariff surge arrives.
At Laneage, our editors will keep following the monthly dwell reports from PMSA. Your next step is a one-page list of every container due through December, marked by priority, last free day and delivery route. Send it to your drayage provider and forwarder this week.
