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10/9/2026
This year's extended peak shipping season appears to be slowing down in October, as import volumes at major U.S. container ports are declining from the summer's consistent high numbers, according to the latest Global Port Tracker (GPT) report issued by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.
Peak merchandise shipping season started early and lasted through the summer and early fall. By now, most holiday merchandise has arrived in the U.S., and the majority of cargo coming in through the end of the year will be last-minute replenishments and 2027 preparation, said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy, in a press release.
"Core economic indicators are broadly flat or weakening slightly month over month recently," Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. Consumer confidence indexes are sliding to multi-year lows, but spending is still robust in the face of increasing inflation, he added.
August is likely to be the busiest month of the year, as U.S. ports tracked by the GPT handled 2.3 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, down 0.7% from August 2025, but up 0.4% from July.
Ports have not yet reported September numbers, but GPT projects a drop to 2.28 million TEUs for the month, which would still be up 8.2% over the same month in 2025. GPT forecasts October volume at 2.25 million TEUs, up 8.5% from 2025; November at 2 million TEUs, down 1%; and December at 2.02 million TEUs, up 0.6%.
Those projections would bring 2026 to a total of 25.8 million TEUs handed across GPT ports, up 1.4% from 2025's 25.4 million TEUs. In the first half of 2026, GPT ports handled 12.7 million TEUs, up 1.1%.
GPT has also released its projections for cargo volumes in the first two months of 2027. January is forecast at 2.07 million TEUs, down 1.9% year over year, and February is projected at 1.92 million TEUs, up 1%.