The April Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index “elevates all port and rail ramp regions to levels of concern, as the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis collides with four years of trucking capacity exits, driving higher fuel costs amid surging seasonal demand,” according to ITS Logistics, a Nevada-based third-party logistics (3PL) firm. “The convergence is producing the first sustained transportation cost pressure since the post-pandemic freight cycle, compounded by rising cargo theft and tightening driver regulation enforcement.”
ITS Logistics, an Echo Global Logistics company, released its latest monthly index on April 16. Each report forecasts port container and dray operations for the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf regions; ocean and domestic container rail ramp operations are also highlighted for both the West and East inland regions.
“Shippers should be prepared for post-COVID era increases in transportation costs this month,” ITS Logistics Vice President of Global Supply Chain Paul Brashier said. “Trucking capacity exits over the past 48 months are finally being felt in all regions, with the trend accelerated by ongoing federal and state enforcement efforts to address non-domiciled drivers and English-language proficiency standards. This decrease in capacity is now converging with increases in tariff-driven domestic material sourcing and geopolitical conflict.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains “the single largest disruptor to global freight flows this spring,” ITS Logistics reported. “Since the conflict began Feb. 28, more than 34,000 shipping routes have been diverted from the Strait, according to Project44.” The disruption, the 3PL firm said, is not limited to energy markets; raw materials and fuel inputs “critical to manufacturing in Asia also transit the corridor, and the blockade is forcing global buyers to reconsider sourcing strategies.” As a result, it noted, U.S. exporters “are gaining attention as an alternative for materials, particularly resins and petrochemicals, that were previously routed through—and in some cases, sourced from—the Middle East, adding further demand pressure to an already constrained domestic transportation network.”
Total containerized imports reached 2,353,611 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) in March, up 12.4% month-over-month from February but down 1.1% compared to March 2025, per Descartes, according to ITS Logistics. “The monthly rebound,” it said, “aligns with typical seasonal patterns, though China-origin imports declined 2.3% from the prior month and 6.7% year-over-year—a trajectory consistent with ongoing tariff-driven sourcing shifts away from Chinese manufacturing.”
According to ITS Logistics, on the fuel side, benchmark diesel prices “recently ended a 12-week streak of consecutive increases, though prices remain elevated well above pre-conflict levels.” The sustained rise in diesel, it said, “has put a floor under trucking rates, according to DAT’s principal analyst Dean Croke. The burden of fuel prices has reignited interest in zero-emission capacity, which has seen growth stagnate over the past two years in the face of regulatory changes and infrastructure challenges.”
ITS Logistics reported that federal and state enforcement efforts targeting non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses and English-language proficiency compliance “continue to accelerate the removal of capacity from the driver pool across all regions, adding to overall cost pressures for shippers.” In California, it noted, “March marked the end of an administrative grace period extended to 20,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s license holders, with state officials announcing that approximately 13,000 licenses would be cancelled to ensure state compliance with federal regulations.” California’s capacity pool serves three of the nation’s “busiest gateways,” ITS Logistics said, noting that together they accounted for more than a third of total containerized trade activity in 2025. “Nationwide, trucking capacity is currently already being strained by the height of produce season, which is pulling refrigerated and dry van equipment into agricultural lanes,” according to the 3PL firm.
Freight fraud and cargo theft, ITS Logistics said, are adding risk on top of the capacity squeeze. “Estimated fraud losses surged 60% in 2025, according to industry analyst firm Verisk CargoNet, expanding in target scope, average theft value, and operational complexity,” the 3PL firm reported. “Food and beverage was the top stolen commodity category, a trend exemplified by the recent theft of an entire Formula 1 KitKat shipment, in which thieves posing as law enforcement intercepted the load—a variation of the fictitious pickup schemes that have become one of the most prevalent forms of cargo theft.”
“In addition to trucking capacity, theft and freight fraud also continue to be problematic in rail ecosystems, especially at locations where freight is interlining between railroad providers,” Brashier pointed out. “Memphis, Chicago, and Los Angeles are of concern at this time.”
Further Reading:
- ITS Logistics Issues March Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Issues February Supply Chain Report
- ITS Logistics Issues February US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Publishes January U.S. Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Issues December Supply Chain Report
- ITS Logistics Publishes November Supply Chain Report
- ITS Logistics Issues November US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Issues October US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Releases September Supply Chain Report
- ITS Logistics Publishes September US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Issues August Supply Chain Report
- ITS Logistics Releases August US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index
- ITS Logistics Publishes July Supply Chain Report
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