U.S. and China extend port-fee truce to January as NRF sees imports cooling after a strong peak

Two trade deadlines that could have rattled ocean freight this week have been pushed to January, and the newest import numbers show the peak season ending strong, with a softer stretch ahead.

China said Nov. 9 that it would extend its suspension of a 24% added tariff on U.S. goods for two months starting Nov. 10, and keep special port fees on U.S.-linked ships on hold until Jan. 10, 2027, Reuters reported via SRN News. A 10% tariff stays in place, the Nov. 9 report said. The U.S. moved first. A notice dated Nov. 6 from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative keeps its Section 301 shipping fees, and its duties on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes and cargo-handling equipment, suspended through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 9, 2027. The earlier one-year pause was due to end Nov. 9, according to USTR's October proposal.

The broader deal is still open. Reuters said Nov. 9 that a proposed $60 billion package of reciprocal tariff cuts, including about $17 billion of U.S. farm goods China imported in 2024, is not final. China's tariff panel also said it will watch U.S. plans to replace IEEPA tariffs that courts found invalid with Section 301 tariffs, and will adjust its countermeasures as appropriate, Reuters reported.

The import data show how much freight is riding on that calm. The Global Port Tracker released Nov. 9 by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates put September imports at 2.37 million TEU, up 12.6% from a year earlier and the third-busiest month on record. Jonathan Gold, NRF's vice president for supply chain and customs policy, said the volumes caused "backups at some ports, particularly on the West Coast," where cargo has sat waiting to be moved onto rail cars.

What it means for carriers

The surge is easing. The Nov. 9 tracker projects October at 2.26 million TEU, up 9.1% from a year earlier, then November at 2.05 million, up 1.2%, and December at 2.03 million, up 1.3%. For all of 2026, the tracker forecasts 26 million TEU, up 2%. Early 2027 looks softer in the same forecast: January at 2.04 million, down 3%, February at 1.89 million, down 0.5%, and March at 1.92 million, down 11.2%.

Drayage and transload fleets serving West Coast ports should plan around congestion now and fewer boxes in the first quarter. The domestic truckload market is on a different track for the moment. FreightWaves' SONAR update on Nov. 9 said truckload demand rose nearly 5% from a week earlier and the Outbound Tender Rejection Index stood at 12.95%, with flatbed rejections at 21%. The same update put van spot rates at $3.49 per mile and the van contract linehaul index at a 52-week high of $2.85.

What shippers and brokers should watch

- Jan. 9 and 10, when the U.S. and Chinese fee pauses end, per USTR's notice and Reuters. A new fee fight would land just as NRF's tracker forecasts imports falling.
- Nov. 20, when the latest contract extension for ILWU Local 26 watchmen at Los Angeles and Long Beach runs out, NRF said Nov. 9. There is still no long-term deal.
- Any new Section 301 tariffs. Ben Hackett, founder of Hackett Associates, said in the Nov. 9 report that tariffs introduced in the second quarter drove a renewed import surge from May through mid-October, so another round could shift booking timing again.