Holiday Goods Flood L.A., Long Beach Ports

Record volumes of retail goods earmarked for the Christmas shopping season poured through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles in August, according to statistics from both harbors. Long Beach handled nearly 237,000 20-foot import containers, while neighboring L.A. took in roughly 236,000 containers as holiday shipments hit full stride. Despite the records, neither port reported any major pileup of cargo on its docks. But many truckers, mostly independent owner-operators who haul cargo from the ports to local distribution warehouses, have begun complaining about the long lines of big rigs waiting outside the waterfront terminals. Exports were also strong at both facilities in August, with each posting sizable year-over-year increases in outbound cargo.