New truck data reveals how port traffic is changing

In the first four months of the year, data on heavy-duty truck traffic at some of the biggest ports in North America indicate a sector in transition, with diverging trends by geography and sector. New truck traffic data from StreetLight enables the private sector across diverse industries, including retail site selection, vehicle electrification, ports and distribution hub planning, and insurance risk assessors, as well as public sector agencies, to keep pace with these trends as they happen. 

Heavy-duty truck traffic between January through April at some of North America’s largest ports reveals a supply chain and logistics system in transition, with increases in truck activity year-over-year at ports in Georgia and Texas, versus contraction or mixed results at ports in Los Angeles and Vancouver, British Columbia.  

The analysis comes from StreetLight’s newest truck product, which enables private sector businesses to stay up to date on the most recent changes in supply and logistics ground travel patterns and adjust accordingly.  

The data indicates that it has been a bumpy few months for truck traffic around the major North American ports. Heavy-duty truck stops and starts around the boundaries of Georgia’s port region saw an initial contraction in activity before bouncing back to growth in February. The port at Vancouver, Canada’s largest facility, saw a similar but more pronounced trend, a dramatic decline in truck activity growth through March before climbing back to the positive in April. 

However, diving deeper into the data we can see it is a mixed bag by industry, with some sectors remaining strong at the Port of LA, while others dip.

Among the five largest industries for truck activity at the Port of LA, one of the largest declines is in manufacturing, down 40–50% year-over-year, according to StreetLight’s data. This downturn aligns with other third-party indicators, such as a drop in the ISM Manufacturing Index and contraction in industrial production in Q1 2025. 

That said, manufacturing only accounts for about 7% of trucking activity at the port, whereas transportation and warehouse, at 46% of truck stop and starts, is by far the largest slice of trucking activity at the port. This sector, alongside wholesale trade, has seen trucking activity remain positive around the port. 

Of course, there are many varied signals at every port. While StreetLight finds a dip in heavy-duty truck activity around the Port of LA, alongside the drop in the manufacturing index, total cargo volumes increased in the first three months of the year, according to Freight Waves. This points to the complexity of factors impacting ports, and the importance for businesses interconnected to the supply chain and logistics industry to keep pace with fast-changing trends.   

StreetLight’s data can help shine a light on the most recent shifts in trucking activity coming out of these ports and throughout the U.S. and Canada. Clients looking to dive deeper into these and segment-level trucking activity can access nuanced metrics and travel pattern data to better understand shifts in the flow of ground transport that affect their industry. 

How New Truck Data Can Help Businesses Adjust Dynamically to Changing Conditions 

As the trucking industry faces a changing landscape, private sector companies are also grappling with a persistent challenge: a lack of detailed, reliable, and up-to-date truck data across the U.S. and Canada. 

Whether it’s understanding where commercial trucks are traveling to optimize sites for truck fueling or service stations or estimating exposure for insurance risk modeling, many businesses require robust, granular insights into truck activity—especially in an era marked by electrification, regulatory shifts, and evolving freight patterns. 

But much of this data is either too outdated, has gaps in coverage, lacks detailed insights such as industry and route type, or is simply not available in a useful format for private organizations. 

StreetLight has a suite of truck data products tailored specifically for the private sector to deliver unmatched commercial truck insights through a range of tools designed to answer real business questions—fast. 

Truck Data for Site Selection 

To predict customer demand at potential new truck stops, fuel locations, convenience stores, and more, understanding nearby truck activity is key. StreetLight allows you to: 

• Compare truck activity and volumes between potential sites 

• Compare all vehicle activity vs. truck activity to further contextualize demand 

• Monitor truck activity around current sites in your real estate portfolio 

• Monitor truck activity around competitors’ sites 

• Analyze truck activity by fuel type, weight class, route type (long-haul vs. Local) and more to understand demand for specific fuels or truck infrastructure 

Data for Truck Fleet Electrification 

StreetLight’s truck data can also help you effectively electrify truck fleets and plan charging infrastructure that supports their use. 

Information on truck trip lengths, high-volume routes, dwell times, and more can help you anticipate charging needs, choose locations for charging stations, and plan routes efficiently. 

Truck Data for Market Research and Product Development 

The ability to segment nationwide truck activity data by weight class, trip types, and industry segments supports detailed market research and product development efforts, helping you go beyond overall truck activity to understand what your customers need. 

For example, you might look at nationwide truck activity to forecast future truck market demand based on weight class, industry, and trip type. Meanwhile, the same metrics can also be used to inform product development roadmaps or comply with regulations like California’s Advanced Clean Trucks. 

Understanding Insurance Risk and Exposure 

Want to understand how truck activity impacts risks to health or property in different locations? StreetLight’s truck data can help you analyze truck activity along specific roads or within an entire region to inform risk assessment. Plus, you can compare truck activity to overall vehicle activity for further context. 

Truck Data for Port and Distribution Hub Planning 

The analysis above illustrates a few useful ways to analyze truck activity around ports and hubs to understand industry trends. Understanding the fast-changing trends in port and distribution hub activity, as well as how different ports and hubs compare to one another, and which industries may be most impacted, can help you optimize logistics and anticipate supply chain fluctuations. 

Freight Corridor and Bottleneck Insights to Reduce Delays and Improve Trucking Infrastructure 

While some decisions require nationwide trucking insights (which our data also supports), others may require a closer look at specific freight corridors. Understanding where freight bottlenecks are happening and how goods flow along key corridors helps you avoid delivery delays and understand where infrastructure improvements may be needed. 

Turning Truck Metrics into Actionable Insights at Any Scale 

StreetLight offers a variety of data delivery methods to fit the scale of your questions and your team’s level of data science expertise. 

Data can be delivered pre-processed for the entire U.S. or county for teams needing data at scale in a digestible format to fit into any workflow. This includes truck volume with class breakdown and VMT. 

For companies that need deeper insights, detailed truck activity segmented by route type, industry, and trip attributes (e.g., long-haul vs. local) is available. Users can access key metrics like: 

• Congestion 
• Speed 
• Travel Time Reliability 
• Industry (e.g. manufacturing, construction, retail) 
• Intra- vs. Inter-State/Province Travel 
• Long-Haul vs. Local Travel 

Additionally, for businesses looking to understand multi-trip analytics, StreetLight’s Services team provides tailored analytics such as: 

• Dwell time and stop counts at truck stops 
• Fuel type breakdowns 
• Vehicle type classification 
• Truck tours 

Ensuring Reliable Truck Data for Confident Business Decisions 

Knowing your decisions are based on recent and reliable information is crucial, so StreetLight always validates metrics rigorously before they ever make it into the hands of our users. To learn more about how StreetLight’s trucking data is collected, processed, and validated, download our Truck Volume Methodology and Validation white paper. 

If you’re part of the private sector and looking to make smarter decisions about site selection, risk modeling, or infrastructure planning, reach out to understand how StreetLight’s truck data solutions can give you a competitive advantage. 

If you are looking for more info about public sector truck data, check out freight planning solutions here. 

Want to learn more? Reach out to our team.