Traffic at major retail container ports in the US should reach a record high in August, according to a report by Global Insight Inc. and the National Retail Federation (NRF). Following the peak in August, the volumes will see a drop before hitting the traditional October peak.
“Cargo volumes are continuing to grow in the buildup toward peak season,” said Paul Bingham, economist for Global Insight. “All of the US ports we follow are operating without congestion from the harbor to the gate and even though rail performance deteriorated slightly in May, pressure on intermodal train operations has eased. While container traffic is growing, it’s growing at a slowre pace than the same time last year, which will help ensure that the system will have adequate capacity to provide acceptable performance over the next six months,” he continued.