The recent implementation of tariffs by the Trump administration hasn’t slowed down imports into the U.S. As uncertainty remains in the short term, inbound cargo volume into the country is expected to remain elevated into the spring, according to America’s largest retail trade association.
According to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and trade consulting firm Hackett Associates, major U.S. container ports handled 2.22 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January.
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That total is up 13.4 percent year over year, and 4.4 percent above December import totals.
“Retailers are continuing to bring as much merchandise into the country ahead of rising tariffs as possible,” said Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy at NRF, in a statement.
Ports have not yet reported February’s numbers, but the Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.07 million TEUs, up 6.1 percent year over year. That would be the busiest February—traditionally the slowest month of the year because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in China—since 2022.
This month inbound cargo volume is forecast to bump back up to double-digit increases, with March expected to reel in 2.14 million containers, up 10.8 percent year over year.
President Donald Trump announced a 10 percent tariff on goods from China in February, before increasing that amount again to 20 percent last week. In kind, China hit back with retaliatory duties of its own.
A 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico first announced in February was delayed until March 4, before being put on hold for a month for goods compliant with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade pact signed during Trump’s first administration.
“The on-again, off-again tariffs against Canada and Mexico won’t have a direct impact on port volumes because most of those goods move by truck or rail. But new tariffs on goods from China that have already doubled from 10 percent to 20 percent are a concern, as well as uncertainty over ‘reciprocal’ tariffs that could start in April,” Gold noted.
While some NRF member retailers have been working on diversifying their supply chain across other countries, Gold said “that doesn’t happen overnight.”
“In the meantime, tariffs are taxes on imports ultimately paid by consumers, not foreign countries, and American families will pay more as long as they are in place,” he said.