Ports & Intermodal
Port of Oakland container volume rises 5.4% in September
· Source: Port of Oakland
The Port of Oakland handled 188,517 TEUs in September, up 5.4% from a year earlier and 8.5% from August. Loaded imports increased 9.6% year over year to 82,975 TEUs, while loaded exports rose 5.3% to 63,299 TEUs.
Summary and practical context by RoadHouse Recruiting · Reviewed
Loaded containers drove the monthly gain
Loaded container volume totaled 146,274 TEUs, up 7.7% year over year. Empty-container traffic declined 2.0% to 42,243 TEUs.
Vessel activity also increased
The port recorded 88 vessel calls during September, 7.3% more than a year earlier, alongside the month-over-month increase in total container volume.
Year-to-date traffic remains lower
Through September, the port handled 1,656,999 TEUs, down 3.5% from the same period in 2025. The September rebound is an official monthly traffic result, not proof of a sustained freight-cycle recovery.
Understanding the update
This is the Port of Oakland's official September 2026 container-volume report. It describes completed monthly traffic, not a forecast, proposal or regulatory change.
What it means for drivers and carriers
Bay Area drayage carriers and shippers should compare the stronger September activity with current terminal bookings, dwell times and their own import and export lane demand before changing capacity.
Questions to consider
- Are loaded import and export appointments increasing at the terminals you use?
- Have turn times or equipment availability changed with the higher monthly volume?
- Does your lane demand match the port-wide September increase?
Read the original reporting
This page provides an original summary and practical commentary. The linked source contains the full reporting. Older stories reflect information available on their published dates.
Read the source at Port of Oakland ↗ (opens in a new tab)