Posted on May 27, 2025
LOS ANGELES—Ruben Diaz typically hauls two container loads of goods a day in a rented big rig between Southern California’s sprawling ports and warehouses dozens of miles away.
“I’m just surviving, but I am not going to make it,” he said.
President Trump’s tariffs, especially the high fees on Chinese goods, have crippled the flow of imports into Southern California and choked the economy that feeds off the ports. On Friday, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union.
Trade and logistics are among the biggest economic drivers in Southern California, directly employing about 900,000 people and generating almost $500 billion in economic output across the region, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
Last month, shipping companies canceled dozens of containership sailings from China to the U.S., as retailers and manufacturers spooked by tariffs paused or canceled orders for furniture, clothing, raw materials and auto parts. Containership arrivals into the complex fell 17% in the first half of May, according to port officials and shipping executives, who said ships that did arrive were carrying less cargo than normal.
Last month, shipping companies canceled dozens of containership sailings from China to the U.S., as retailers and manufacturers spooked by tariffs paused or canceled orders for furniture, clothing, raw materials and auto parts. Containership arrivals into the complex fell 17% in the first half of May, according to port officials and shipping executives, who said ships that did arrive were carrying less cargo than normal.
