Truck & Trade Trends

Here’s What It Means for Trucking

The number of Chinese freight vessels bound for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – the twin juggernauts of Asian imports has plummeted. The reason? A growing storm fueled by tariffs and trade uncertainty between the U.S. and China.

Carriers have begun pulling back. Transpacific shipping lanes are being redrawn. And the ripple effect is hitting far beyond the ports straight into the heart of America’s supply chain: the trucking industry.

The Fallout from the Frontlines: What’s Happening at the Ports

These aren’t minor delays or routine seasonal dips. We’re witnessing a structural slowdown.

Ocean carriers, facing soft demand and rising geopolitical risk, are suspending routes, reconfiguring their schedules, and rerouting capacity toward alternative ports or even different markets altogether. Importers are either:

• Diversifying suppliers (moving to Vietnam, India, and Mexico), or
• Scaling down imports altogether due to cost uncertainties and tariff anxieties.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; once bustling with container ships from China, are now seeing a steady decline in scheduled vessel arrivals. Container throughput is already down from previous years.

Why Trucking Feels the Shock First

Here’s where it gets real for those of us in the trenches of logistics.

When fewer containers arrive, fewer drayage jobs are dispatched from ports to inland warehouses. Fewer long-haul routes are initiated. Fewer truckers are needed. It’s a domino effect.

Trucking – already operating on razor-thin margins – is hit with:

• Reduced volume from port drayage and intermodal contracts
• Rate volatility due to unpredictable shipment flows
• Increased competition among carriers fighting over shrinking freight pools

And let’s not forget: many fleets have scaled up over the past two years anticipating post-COVID growth. With volumes dipping, overcapacity will now further compress rates, making it harder for smaller carriers to survive.

What This Means for Supply Chains

Supply chains are being reoriented. And fast.

1. Nearshoring Accelerates: U.S. importers are moving operations closer to home; Mexico and Central America are the new sourcing hotspots. Expect a rise in cross-border trucking demand.
2. Shifting Port Preferences: Shippers are avoiding congestion and tariff-exposed West Coast ports. Gulf and East Coast ports like Houston, Savannah, and Newark are emerging winners. This realignment shifts where trucking demand will emerge.
3. Inventory Strategies Changing: “Just in case” is replacing “just in time.” Warehouses are being repositioned inland, driving new regional freight opportunities.

Perspective: What Should Fleets and Shippers Do Now?

This isn’t a time to panic but it is a time to plan.

For Fleets:

• Rebalance your operations footprint. If you’re heavily dependent on West Coast drayage, diversify toward inland markets or cross-border lanes.
• Build resilience by optimizing cost-per-mile, not just chasing top-line revenue.
• Collaborate with shippers proactively offer reliability, not just rate cuts.

For Shippers:

• Expand supplier base beyond China to hedge risk.
• Diversify your port strategy: don’t put all your volume into LA/LB.
• Invest in supply chain visibility technology that gives real-time ETA tracking, inventory levels, and dynamic re-routing is no longer a luxury.

The U.S.-China tariff landscape won’t settle anytime soon. With elections looming and trade policy becoming a political tool, volatility will continue.

That said, crises always expose inefficiencies and force evolution. For the trucking industry, this is a call to realign not retreat. Those who adapt quickly, diversify smartly, and stay operationally sharp will find new lanes of opportunity in the chaos.

Global tides may shift, but freight still has to move. The question is - are you positioned to catch the next wave, or will it leave you behind?