Last Updated Oct. 3, 2024
Summary
- Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida on September 26th as a category 4 hurricane. This has resulted in major flooding and damage throughout the Southeast.
- Truckload on-time performance plummeted to lows of 47% in regions impacted by the storm. Service levels remain unstable in certain parts of the Southeast but have improved since landfall.
- The Port of Jacksonville saw the most impact from the hurricane, and with the ILA strike ceasing operations at all ports among the East and Gulf coasts, backlogs and dwell times will be particularly bad at Jacksonville when operations resume.
Overview
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, making it the strongest hurricane to hit the United States during the 2024 hurricane season. Helene has continued to wreak havoc across the Southeast with major flooding, landslides, and tornadoes. North Carolina is experiencing the worst flooding in a century, with over 2 feet of rain reported in some areas. Over 178 people have been killed by Helene and 1.1 million people remain without power even a week after landfall.
Ports Impacted
Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charleston are among the ports impacted by Hurricane Helene. Ports were closed preemptively on September 26 in preparation for landfall, suspending operations. They reopened on the 27th, resulting in one day of lost operations, but were soon shut down again with the beginning of the ILA strike impacting ports from Maine to Texas. For more information about the port strike and its impacts, follow project44’s updates on Supply Chain Insights.
The chart below shows the impact this has had on incoming vessels.

The Port of Jacksonville saw two full days without container vessels arriving, while Savannah saw one day of no arrivals. Charleston was the least impacted of the three, with container vessels continuing to enter the port throughout the storm. All ports are now seeing no containers enter until a new contract can be reached and ILA union workers resume work.
The charts below illustrate the daily import and export dwell at ports leading up to hurricane landfall and afterwards.

Savannah and Jacksonville saw the highest import dwell, both around 4 days. Ports did operate with extended hours leading up to the strike, to clean out some of the backlog from the hurricane, but it is possible that once the strike ends, these two ports in particular may see even higher import dwell than other ports along the East and Gulf coasts.

The Port of Jacksonville processed very little export volume in the week of the hurricane and leading up to the strike, which is reflected in the 12-day median export dwell seen on September 30th. Savannah saw a smaller uptick in dwell towards the end of the week and could still have backlogs to catch up on once the strike ends.
Overall, Jacksonville is seeing the most operational disruptions among the ports and dwell time will be high when the ports resume operations.
Truckload Impacts
Truckload shipments are facing delays and disruptions due to major flooding and damage to roads. Current on-time performance in the affected states is outlined below.

Delays in the truckload market have been widespread throughout the Southeast, with South Carolina hitting a low of 47% on-time performance, meaning more than half of shipments were trending late. The weekend showed a promising uptick, but shipment counts remain low, and infrastructure damage remains high, leading to volatility and lower than normal service levels throughout South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida.
North Carolina has improved, but there is still major flooding in certain parts in the mountains, including Asheville, that will have a longer road to recovery. It will likely take at least a week for certain areas to recover.
Summary
Hurricane Helene has had a profound impact across the Southeast, resulting in widespread flooding, infrastructure damage, and tragic loss of life, particularly in North Carolina, where rainfall reached unprecedented levels. Major ports, including Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charleston, experienced temporary closures, leading to disruptions in container traffic and increased dwell times for both imports and exports. These challenges are now compounded by the ongoing ILA strike, which has further halted operations. As recovery efforts begin, significant hurdles remain, especially in the trucking sector, where on-time performance has been severely impacted by storm damage. The full extent of the hurricane’s toll on the supply chain will emerge as ports and transportation networks work to resume normal operations, though further disruptions are likely due to the strike.
Concern for Safety
While project44 has made it a priority to provide frequent updates on Hurricane Helene and its impact to the supply chain, the safety of all people impacted by the storm remains top of mind. They and their families are in our thoughts, and we urge people to follow local guidelines for safety in these times.