'Truck drivers are scrambling': Trump's tariffs hit drivers, Los Angeles port workers work hard

Anxiety has had a high impact on truckers like Helen, who has transported her life from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to warehouses and other customers across Southern California.

Employment has begun to decline in recent days following a strong start to this year, with truckers hearing reports predicting a sharp drop in cargo in May and June.

Helen, a 38-year-old three-year-old mother, said her family had to stretch to make ends meet even under normal circumstances.

“Really worried we'll struggle,” said Helen, a Downey resident, who refused to give her a last name because she was worried that she might lose her job if she was deemed unsatisfied. “If there is no ship coming in, no load, then there is no job. If there is no job, there is no money.”

Men and women working in the country’s busiest ports felt the impact when President Trump’s aggressive tariffs harass business owners and shake the foundations of U.S. imports.

Thousands of dock workers, heavy equipment operators and truck drivers support a range of activities at the Los Angeles Port, which covers 7,500 acres and has processed more than 10 million 20-foot-long 20-foot-long cargo in 2024.

The flow of goods into the United States is expected to be significantly slowed down in China's 145% tariffs, 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on dozens of other countries.

Raman Dhillon, CEO of the North American Punjab Truck Association, said there is less cargo, which means fewer jobs for Californians who want to move the goods.

“Truck drivers are scrambling right now,” he said. “They are on the verge of collapse. The government needs to act quickly or it will be chaos, price increases and empty shelves.”

U.S. Senator Alex Padilla of California and two other Democratic senators called a press conference Thursday to condemn Trump's tariffs, predict lost jobs, higher prices and merchandise collapses in stores.

Dozens of agricultural exporters also held a conference call to express their concerns about how tariffs and retaliatory impositions in other countries affect overseas markets.

“The decline in cargo volume caused by Trump's tariffs will mean that when products are out of our stores, all prices from groceries to clothes to cars are rising, and there is no doubt that more Americans are out of work,” Padilla said.

one 2023 Report The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach contributed $21.8 billion in revenue to local service providers, generated $2.7 billion in state and local taxes, and created 165,462 jobs directly and indirectly.

The study found that cargo to the port fell by only 1%, which would eliminate 2,769 jobs and harm up to 4,000 people.

Last week, Gene Seroka, executive director of Port Los Angeles, said arriving could drop by 35% over the next 14 days.

This threat is imminent for members of ILWU Local 13, which represents the union on behalf of Longshoremen, who unloaded goods and supported port operations.

“They just want to know what will happen,” ILWU Local 13 President Gary Herrera said of his members. “Some labor does not go 40 hours a week based on the loss of goods. Unemployment is definitely a problem.”

According to Herrera and port officials, there will be more than 30 “blank sailings” in May at Long Beach and Los Angeles ports, which happens when the cargo ship cancels planned trips. Officials said this would mean a 400,000 reduction in containers that would be transported through the port.

The upcoming downturn in Long Beach and Los Angeles ports comes shortly after the twin facilities reported booming activities, linked to a labor dispute that closed major ports in the eastern and Gulf Coasts. Nearly one-third of all cargo containers are delivered to the United States through Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Navdeep Gill, who owns Marine Railroad Logistics, a Northern California truck company, said his business has reduced goods by 60% to 70% due to tariffs.

Jill's truck drivers haul goods from the Auckland port, usually moving 50 containers per week. Gill said they have moved 10 to 15 lately.

“We lose money when we don't do anything and the truck doesn't work,” he said. His company hauls industrial supplies, paper and food.

“We have fixed fees, such as insurance that we can't get around, so we lose money,” Jill said.

There are 10 container ships in the Los Angeles port during the three-day period to Sunday. According to a memorandum of the trade group representing shippers, this is a drop of 17 container ships that usually arrive every three days at this time of year.

“It will have an impact not only on us, but on job opportunities for truckers, warehouse workers and logistics teams,” said union president Herrera. “It's a ripple effect of not having a job at the waterfront.”

Helen said some of her drivers hope to achieve a better economy under Trump. Her own exposure doubled as her husband also drove the truck to port and port. Because her income is the salary that is each burden, Helen's income will not meet the minimum wage when there are too few jobs available.

“We feel like it's going to get worse and then get better,” she said. “You feel this imminent uncertainty. It's hanging on everyone.”