Impact of tariffs on the Port of Los Angeles are 'widespread' and 'sweeping'

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Port of Los Angeles is adapting to changes and challenges because of President Trump's tariffs.

"These tariff policies are more widespread and sweeping than any we've ever seen in our lifetime," said Gene Seroka, the port's executive director.

"What probably comes out of this are lower inventory levels across the board, less selection for American consumers and maybe higher prices," he added.

The busiest port in the U.S. handled 843,000 containers last month. That's a 9.5% jump compared to last year.

"The port is now seeing 10 straight months of year-on-year growth, driven in part by retailers and manufacturers bringing in cargo ahead of tariffs," Seroka said.

When it comes to exports, the port saw a 3.5% decrease from 2024.

"This now marks five consecutive months of declining exports," Seroka said. "With retaliatory tariffs now in play, we'll continue to see significant challenges on that side of the ledger, particularly in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors for the foreseeable future."

This month, they're already starting to see a pullback in global trade.

"Volume in the first week of May here at the Port of L.A. was down more than 30% on the import side of our ledger," he added.

He expects the drop will be substantial heading into June.

"Fewer containers mean less work on the waterfront, from the number of labor gangs that are out there responding to the shift requirements of cargo, to the truckers and the warehouse workers, the impact was felt almost immediately during that first week of May," Seroka said.

A 90-day pause to tariffs between the U.S. and China is a temporary fix, but the impact could be felt later this year as the port heads into peak shipping season.

"Think summer fashion, back to school, Halloween," Seroka said. "May is traditionally the month where a lot of purchase orders go in for the year-end and Christmas holidays. It typically takes about three months to send an order to a factory, have those goods made and get them ready to ship from Asia to the United States."

The port also wants to keep its workforce working through all of this.

They plan to redirect some of their crews to other sectors of the port because of lower amounts of cargo.