On the heels of what was the busiest August seen at the Port of Long Beach, CEO Noel Hacegaba said on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that he anticipates a strong end of the year that could have an even a longer \u201cpeak season\u201d than originally expected.<\/p>\n
The port moved 919,992 container units last month \u2014 a record for August.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only did that break the August record from 2024,\u201d Hacegaba said, \u201cbut it also ranked as the fifth busiest month in the port\u2019s 115-year history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Year to date, he added, dockworkers have moved 6.7 million containers during the first eight months of 2026, a 1.5% year-over-year increase compared to the same period in 2025, \u201cwhich was a record year.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the impacts of tariffs and Canada, Hacegaba said, consumers will feel impacts when it comes to wine in particular.<\/p>\n
While the port isn\u2019t directly affected, as most Canadian imports cross by train into middle America, there are still impacts on imports for dairy and wine, which are tied specifically to California trade.<\/p>\n
Joining Hacegaba as a guest on Wednesday was Anne Reinke, president and CEO of the Intermodal Association of North America.<\/p>\n
The two discussed the status of intermodal transit \u2014 containers using more than one mode of transportation. Between tariffs and shipping route complications, intermodal transit is becoming a more prominent option.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are having an intermodal moment,\u201d Reinke said, as shippers use different ways to get cargo where it needs to go.<\/p>\n
Fuel prices are a major factor, Reinke said, presenting challenges to truck operations not able to sustain their business.<\/p>\n
Rail is playing a larger role in some of those alternative plans that need to be available.<\/p>\n
\u201cCargo follows a path of least resistance,\u201d Hacegaba said, adding that the port\u2019s Pier B rail development is an example of decisions that will better accommodate the future.<\/p>\n
The $1.8 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility<\/a> is the centerpiece of the port\u2019s rail capital improvement program, designed to shift more cargo to on-dock rail, taking containers to and from marine terminals by train.<\/p>\n Moving cargo by on-dock rail is also cleaner and more efficient, port officials have said, while it also cuts down on truck traffic. No cargo trucks would visit the facility. Construction began in 2024 and is anticipated to be finished in 2032.<\/p>\n On other topics, Hacegaba said this year already promised an extended peak season \u2014 the period that typically sees a surge of imports in anticipation of back-to-school, and the fall and winter holidays \u2014 that would stretch possibly into fall. Typically, the season has been more focused, stretching from early to mid-summer and into late summer or early fall.<\/p>\n This year, he said, the port\u2019s high cargo numbers in what has already been a much longer \u201cpeak season\u201d now could extend into possibly the first half of November.<\/p>\n Hacegaba also said there is new caution about whether consumers will begin to pull back on spending.<\/p>\n Consumer confidence, he said, appears to be softening, hitting a level that in the past has been associated with a recession coming within a year.<\/p>\n The impacts of growing consumer caution can appear when people begin eating out less often and putting off large purchases, he said, behavior that will also then impact the overall economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe strong cargo numbers today may tell us less about how consumers feel right now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n