Which South Florida port is busier, PortMiami or Port Everglades?

By container volume, Port Everglades is now the larger of the two and is growing considerably faster.

Should I switch my imports to Port Everglades?

Not automatically. The right port depends on where your freight is going, your carrier's coverage and your ocean carrier's service. The gain comes from being able to use both.

Does it cost more to drayage from Port Everglades?

Not inherently. Cost is driven by distance to the delivery point and how efficiently the carrier turns the container, not by which port it landed at.

Port Everglades Is Now South Florida's Busiest Container Port. Here's What That Means for Your Freight.

By Rob Goldstein, Managing Member

2026-08-18 Port Operations

For years, if you imported into South Florida, PortMiami was the default. That assumption is now out of date. Port Everglades has quietly become the busier container port of the two — and it is growing several times faster.

The numbers.

In FY2025 Port Everglades handled 1,167,552 TEU against PortMiami's 1,115,058 TEU.

Why it happened.

Everglades sits in Broward with direct interstate access and no downtown to cross, which shortens the first and last mile for a large share of South Florida's distribution footprint. Its terminals have added capacity while the surrounding warehouse market in Broward and north Miami-Dade has expanded faster than the land-constrained corridor around PortMiami.

What it means for your cost.

Port choice is not a neutral decision. It sets your drayage mileage, your exposure to congestion, and how many turns a truck can complete in a day — and turns are what actually drive drayage economics. A container discharged at the port closer to its final destination is cheaper to move, and it frees the box back to the line sooner, which shortens your per-diem exposure.

Gate times and turn times matter more than headline rates.

A low per-container quote from a carrier that cannot get a truck through the gate efficiently is not a low price. Ask any carrier you are evaluating how many turns they average per truck per day and how they handle a terminal that is running long. The answer tells you more than the rate does.

Do not put all your volume in one port.

The practical lesson of the last few years is that resilience beats optimisation. Weather, labour actions and vessel bunching hit one terminal at a time. Shippers who can discharge at either PortMiami or Port Everglades — and who use a carrier that runs both daily — absorb disruption that strands single-port shippers.

What to ask your carrier.

Whether they work both ports every day or just one. Whether they own their tractors or broker the move. Whether they can handle overweight boxes on permitted multi-axle equipment. And whether the person answering the phone can actually make a dispatch decision, or is taking a message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which South Florida port is busier, PortMiami or Port Everglades?: By container volume, Port Everglades is now the larger of the two and is growing considerably faster.
Should I switch my imports to Port Everglades?: Not automatically. The right port depends on where your freight is going, your carrier's coverage and your ocean carrier's service. The gain comes from being able to use both.
Does it cost more to drayage from Port Everglades?: Not inherently. Cost is driven by distance to the delivery point and how efficiently the carrier turns the container, not by which port it landed at.

Moving containers through either South Florida port? We run PortMiami and Port Everglades every day on our own trucks — get a quote or call (786) 733-0270.