Companies are preparing for tariffs levied against China and other countries by the Trump administration by pulling freight forward, considering price hikes and adjusting supply chains, according to Savills’ Q4 industrial report. Freight movement pushed port volumes up last year.

Monthly TEU freight volume was up more than 20% year-over-year in Long Beach, California, nearly 19% in Los Angeles, and more than 16% in Seattle. Other top ports for the quarter were New York/New Jersey, Savannah, Oakland, Houston, Virginia and Charleston.

Despite tariff risks, healthy consumer trends, e-commerce and freight volumes signal stability, according to the report. E-commerce continues to grow in the post-COVID period, accounting for 16.2% of total retail sales during the fourth quarter, up from 14.2% in Q2 2022. Amazon has ramped up its facility opening activity in the past couple of years with expansion totaling 39.2 million square feet in 2024, its third most active year since 2020 and 2021.