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The day’s most important moves across every mode — air, rail, road, ocean and the trade that ties them together.
| ● On the Wire |
Tuesday, October 13 |
4 stories |
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Port Houston is investing in infrastructure like expanding the Houston Ship Channel to support larger ships and more efficient flow of cargo.
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Ports
BY STUART CHIRLS · AMERICAN SHIPPER · OCTOBER 12, 2026
The Port of Los Angeles handled 1,042,652 TEUs in September, the busiest month in its 118-year history, with loaded imports up 19% and empty-container volume also setting a record.
| THE TAKE — The record empty-container total alongside a 19% jump in loaded imports is a reminder that a surge this large also stresses equipment and yard capacity, not just terminal throughput. The port’s executive director points to a mix of steady consumer demand, restocking, lower tariffs than earlier in the year, and shippers shifting freight to Los Angeles because of Suez and Panama Canal constraints. That last factor is the one that could reverse, so how much of this is durable gain versus rerouted cargo will become clearer once routes normalize. |
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Ocean
OOCL reported third-quarter liner revenue of $3.28 billion, up 45.1% from a year earlier, led by a 71.8% jump in trans-Pacific revenue as average revenue per TEU rose 33.1%.
| THE TAKE — Revenue growing five times faster than volume — 45% versus 9% — says this quarter was about price more than cargo, and the 33.1% rise in revenue per TEU confirms it. The trans-Pacific lane carried the quarter, while Asia-Europe posted the fastest volume growth. The update leaves out earnings and costs, so it’s an indicator of how strong rates were, not of how much of that reached the bottom line. |
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Cross-Border
Mexico exported nearly 12% fewer light vehicles in September than a year earlier, even as the U.S. absorbed 76.4% of year-to-date shipments, with GM, Nissan and Ford posting steep production declines.
| THE TAKE — The 15% drop in September production and double-digit cuts at GM, Nissan and Ford show the slowdown is concentrated among a few producers rather than spread evenly, with Stellantis the lone gainer among those named. Domestic sales rising 7.9% while exports fall suggests demand inside Mexico is holding up better than export orders. For cross-border truckers and rail carriers, vehicle exports are a bellwether, so a sustained decline would be felt on the northbound lanes first. |
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Rail
A $1 million state FastSites loan will close a funding gap on a $7 million rail spur linking the Port of Columbia in northeast Louisiana to Union Pacific’s main line.
| THE TAKE — Small loans like this are often what decide whether a rural port project already holding state and federal grants actually gets built, and the port’s leadership describes it exactly that way. Connecting a 400-acre river-and-highway site to a Class I main line gives it the multimodal story industrial developers look for, and local officials are openly pitching it for projects like Louisiana Green Fuels. With bids due in November and construction slated for 2027, the benefits are still a few years out. |
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OCT 27–28, 2026 · THE SIGNAL, CHATTANOOGA, TN
FreightWaves’ flagship event blends rapid-fire tech demos and world-class speakers with the most legendary networking in logistics. Join 1,000+ freight and logistics experts, industry leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators for a definitive look at the year ahead. Come for the insights, stay for the celebration and leave with the connections that will define your 2027.
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American Shipper · The Daily — published weekdays
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