Back to California: Southern California ports see discretionary cargo returning from Pacific Northwest, East Coast ports.(Transportation: Maritime)

The cargo is returning to Southern California and the ports are ready.

When port and rail congestion crippled the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2004, importers immediately diverted large blocks of cargo to the Pacific Northwest and East Coast, and ports there registered spectacular gains that continued through last year.

But while shippers last year were rerouting their discretionary cargo to other ports, terminal operators in Los Angeles-Long Beach were hiring additional labor and keeping truck gates open longer, and Western railroads were expanding their capacity. As a result, the 2005 peak shipping season in Southern California was virtually trouble-flee.

Now, the same importers who abandoned Los …