US ports filling up fast amid the global supply crunch

It now costs as much as $25,000 to import a 40-foot container from Asia, up from less than $2,000 two years ago. 

US ports are full of goods, US warehouses are full of goods, hardly anyone wants to drive a truck to pick up and deliver those goods and those who do sit waiting in lines, often unpaid. And Americans continue to buy more stuff from abroad than ever.

A supply-chain crunch that stretches from overseas manufacturers into American ports and retail stores threatens the US Christmas shopping season. President Joe Biden and his administration have been working for months to smooth out bottlenecks, but his power to influence what is almost entirely a private-sector problem is limited.