Cargo-Container Traffic on the Rise Through Back-to-School Season
U.S. consumers are still hitting the stores, which means that import cargo volumes at the major ports in the United States should be busy through the back-to-school season.
The National Retail Federation released its monthly Global Tracker Report, done in conjunction with Hackett Associates, noting that cargo-container traffic is moving in a positive direction for each month through September. May should remain relatively flat compared with last year.
“Consumers are spending despite gas prices and other economic concerns, so retailers are stocking up to meet the demand,” said Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “These numbers show imports growing through the back-to-school season and even into the beginning of the shipping cycle for the holiday season. That’s a sign that retailers are expecting a good year.”
The major U.S. ports handled 1.18 million 20-foot cargo containers in March, the latest month that has complete shipping data. That is up 8.5 percent from the same month last year.
April statistics are expected to rise 2 percent from a year ago with 1.24 million cargo containers.
May is predicted to be flat at 1.28 million cargo containers.
But then traffic begins to rev up in June with cargo volumes expected to inch up 4 percent to 1.34 million containers. July will see a 1.8 percent uptick to 1.34 million containers. Traffic will get busier in August and September. Cargo volumes are expected to hit 1.42 million cargo containers in August, up 7.2 percent from the previous year. September should be even more robust, with 1.45 million containers, which is an 8.7 percent increase over the previous year.—Deborah Belgum
