Heft IQ Executive Radar · 2026-10-28
Imports Are Past Their Peak. Warehouse Space Is the Tightest Since 2022
Holiday freight has mostly landed, but September's Logistics Managers' Index shows warehouse capacity contracting at its fastest rate since March 2022. For 3PLs, the squeeze moves from the dock to storage, labor and billing.
What changed
U.S. ports handled 2.3 million TEU in August, likely the busiest month of 2026, according to NRF's Global Port Tracker. October is forecast at 2.25 million TEU and November at 2 million, and NRF says most holiday merchandise has arrived. Warehouses are feeling the result: the September Logistics Managers' Index shows warehousing capacity at 39.3 (below 50 means contracting), inventory levels at 58.9 and warehousing prices at 73.5.
Why it matters for 3PLs
Tight space raises the cost of every mistake. Inventory that arrived late or heavy sits in racks the brand may not be paying for, overflow costs rise, and receiving backlogs slow putaway just as outbound orders start to climb. The LMI notes that inventory typically moves from wholesale to retail around mid-October, so the pressure shifts from the dock to pick, pack and ship over the next few weeks.
What to do now
Check storage utilization by building and by brand, and compare storage billed with storage used. Clear any receiving backlog against open ASNs before outbound volume rises. Plan labor by building for November and December from brand forecasts, not last year's averages. Then review the list weekly through peak, with an owner on every gap.