Weekly Drayage Roundup — Week of September 6th–12th, 2026

Transpacific rates rose again, last week’s largest LA forecast jump was revised down, Los Angeles beat its own August guidance, and diesel set a national record. Here are six things on our radar.

1. Shanghai–LA rises another 2%

Drewry’s composite World Container Index held at $4,476 per 40-foot container on September 10th, its second consecutive stable week. Shanghai–Los Angeles rose 2% to $7,352, while Shanghai–New York increased 1% to $9,726. All rate moves are week over week. The flat composite masks higher transpacific import pricing.

2. Blank-sailing outlook moves higher

Drewry now counts seven transpacific blank sailings in the week of September 6th–12th and eight in the week of September 13th–19th. A week ago, that same September 6th–12th week was projected at six. Each figure counts announcements to date, not a closed tally. Drewry still expects stable rates next week on easing demand and carrier capacity management.

3. Los Angeles beats its own August guidance

Los Angeles processed 955,907 TEU in August, 6% above its five-year August average and on par with last year, capping the busiest three-month stretch in port history. Loaded imports were 500,302 TEU. Through August the port handled 7,038,973 TEU, up 1.5%.

Seroka guided to more than 900,000 TEU for August back in July. The port cleared that by roughly 56,000, and he now expects another strong September.

San Pedro Bay import forecast — Port of LA from Port Optimizer plus Port of Long Beach from CargoNav:

• This week (Sep 6th – 12th): 221,947 TEU on 40 vessels — LA 124,552 on 22, Long Beach 97,395 on 18
• Next week (Sep 13th – 19th): 215,341 TEU on 40 vessels — LA 117,496 on 21, Long Beach 97,845 on 19
• Two weeks out (Sep 20th – 26th): 237,357 TEU on 43 vessels — LA 139,962 on 25, Long Beach 97,395 on 18

Last week’s edition showed 158,864 LA TEU for this same week. The latest card is 34,312 lower, which is why one forecast jump should not be read as a new demand wave. CargoNav remains a planning baseline.

Port Optimizer showed 14 vessels at berth, none within 40 nautical miles, and no wait for berth. September month-to-date turn times are 65 minutes for Los Angeles and 58 for Long Beach, with Los Angeles up from 60 minutes a week ago. Read it as provisional.

4. Six full gates open Saturday first shift

For September 12th–13th, read fresh from the terminal sites:

• Saturday first shift: APM, Everport, TraPac, LBCT, ITS, and TTI are open. WBCT is HDS only, a carrier-specific gate rather than a general one.
• Saturday second shift: APM only.
• Sunday first shift: APM, TraPac, and LBCT are open.
• Sunday second shift: APM only.
• APM third shift is closed both days.

Fenix, Matson, PCT, Pier A, and YTI are closed for both days. Everport, ITS, TTI, and WBCT are closed Sunday. TraPac’s Sunday first shift requires appointments for conventional imports only.

5. Two more rate increases filed for late September

Transpacific eastbound carriers filed general rate increases for September 15th and October 1st. CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd, HMM, Yang Ming, and ZIM appear on both filings at $2,000 to $3,000 per 40-foot container. The September 15th round is the eighteenth of 2026 on this lane.

6. Diesel sets a national record

On-highway diesel per gallon, per EIA’s September 7th print:

• U.S. national — $5.967 this week, $5.599 last week, $5.257 a month ago
• California — $7.764 this week, $7.218 last week, $6.618 a month ago

National diesel increased 36.8 cents on the week, or 6.6%, and 71.0 cents over four weeks. That is an all-time high in this series, passing the $5.810 record from June 2022, and it follows a one-week dip. California rose 54.6 cents, the largest regional increase, and its $7.764 is the highest regional average nationwide. California’s premium widened to $1.797 from $1.619.

In closing….

The pipeline remains fluid, but local costs have increased as capacity remains tight. Last week’s forecast wave was revised down, there is still no vessel wait, and Los Angeles cleared its own August guidance. Diesel set a record, transpacific rates rose, and carriers filed two more increases for late September and October.

That’s the week. See you next Friday.

— Whisk Logistics

Questions on how this hits your lanes? Send us a DM on LinkedIn or email contactus@whisklogistics.com.

Subscribe to our newsletter →