The United States is a land of vast distances and incredible natural beauty. It's also a country with a thriving economy, thanks in large part to its impressive transportation infrastructure. And freight trucking from ports plays a vital role in keeping the US economy moving. In this blog post, we will discuss the 10 largest US ports and what makes them so important for cargo traffic. In this post, we’re going to be using the term “TEU” frequently, which is a measuring unit that refers to the number of twenty-foot containers (twenty-foot equivalent units).
Keep reading to learn more!
Five Busiest Cargo Water Ports in the US
Did you know that the United States is home to some of the busiest cargo ports in the world? In fact, most of the busiest container ports in North America are located in the US. Here's a look at the top five cargo seaports in the USA.
#1. Port of Los Angeles, California
The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest container port in North America and the #11 busiest port in the world, handling over $291 billion in cargo in 2021. The port is located in San Pedro Bay, just south of downtown Los Angeles.
What makes the Port of Los Angeles so important for freight trucking? For starters, the port is a major gateway for Asian imports to the US. In addition, the port is also home to the largest car import facility in North America. The port of Los Angeles handled a whopping five million TEU in 2020.
#2. Newark Port, New Jersey
The Newark Port is the second largest container port in the US. The port is located in Newark Bay, just east of New York City. As one of the biggest ports on the East Coast, the Newark Port handles a wide variety of cargo, including containers, automobiles, and bulk commodities.
The Newark Port is important for freight trucking because it is a major gateway for European imports to the US. In addition, the port also handles a significant amount of containerized freight from other ports on the East Coast of the United States. And because Newark has located just a short distance from New York City, it is also able to serve as a backup port for the city in the event of closure at the Port of New York and New Jersey. The Newark Port handled 4.6 million TEU in 2020.
#3. The Port of Long Beach, California
The Port of Long Beach is the third largest container port in the US and the #15 busiest port in the world. The port is located in Long Beach, California, just south of Los Angeles.
The Port of Long Beach, one of the largest west coast ports, is important for freight trucking because it is a major gateway for Asian imports to the US. In addition, the port handles a significant amount of containerized freight from other ports on the West Coast of the United States. In terms of cargo volume, the Port of Long Beach is the second biggest harbor in the US, handling billions of dollars worth of cargo each year— even going through about 4.3 million TEU in 2020.
#4. The Port of Savannah, California
The Port of Savannah is the fourth largest port in North America and the #16 busiest port in the world. The port is located in Savannah, Georgia.
The Port of Savannah is important for freight trucking because it is a major gateway for imports from both Asia and Europe to the US. In addition, the port also handles a significant amount of containerized freight from other ports on the East Coast of the United States.
What makes this port unique is that it is one of the few deepwater ports on the East Coast of the United States that can accommodate large container ships. In 2020, the Port of Savannah shipped 2.4 million TEU.
#5. The Port of Houston, Texas
The Port of Houston is the fifth busiest container port in North America and the #17 busiest port in the world. The port is located in Houston, Texas (one of the major port cities in the US).
The Port of Houston is important for freight trucking because it is a major gateway for both imports and exports from the US Gulf Coast. In addition, as one of the biggest seaports, it also handles a significant amount of containerized freight from other ports on the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Houston is also home to the largest petrochemical complex in the world, which is another reason why the port is so important for freight trucking (not to mention it handled roughly 2 million TEU in 2020).
Top 10 Busiest USA Cargo Ports
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of different ports located throughout the United States that play a vital role in freight trucking. These ports are important because they act as gateways for imports and exports from all over the world.
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