The Georgia Ports Authority reported container growth in July, the opening month of its 2027 fiscal year. The Port of Savannah handled 503,739 twenty-foot equivalent units, a gain of 27,051 TEUs or 5.7 percent over July 2025. Imports reached 251,888 TEUs, up 5 percent or 12,300 TEUs. Exports totaled close to 115,000 TEUs, an increase of 7.7 percent. Georgia Ports CEO Griff Lynch said August volumes on the water also looked strong.
Truck activity tracked the cargo numbers. The port recorded roughly 15,000 truck transactions per day in July across import and export moves. Turn times averaged 31 minutes for a single container and 51 minutes for a dual move, and close to 80 percent of transactions at Garden City Terminal were dual moves. GPA President Kevin Price credited the trucking community for the terminal's gate performance and said gate efficiency remains a focus for the authority.
Road access changed on July 15, when the Georgia Department of Transportation opened the Brampton Road Connector. The $126 million four-lane highway links Gate 3 at Garden City Terminal directly to the Interstate 16 corridor.
Inland volumes grew faster than the main terminal. The Appalachian Regional Port in Crandall handled an all-time high of 4,800 containers in July, up 41 percent against the same month last year, and closed fiscal 2026 at a record 49,319 containers. The $134 million Gainesville Inland Port opened in May. July rail lifts at Savannah's Mason Mega Rail Terminal reached 44,981 containers, up 2 percent. At the Port of Brunswick, auto imports rose 5.3 percent to 51,704 units.
Source: The Trucker - https://www.thetrucker.com/trucking-news/business/georgia-ports-reporting-increases-in-freight-traffic-on-numerous-fronts