Arkansas River tonnage down more than 15%, tariff impact cited

Tariffs implemented and proposed by the Trump Administration are a big part of why Arkansas River tonnage is down more than 15% in the first four months of 2025, according to Marty Shell, owner of Van Buren-based Five Rivers Distribution.

Arkansas River tonnage totaled 3.866 million tons in the first four months of 2025, down 15.4% compared with the 4.569 million tons in the same period of 2024, according to a report posted Monday (May 12) by the U.S. Corps of Engineers (USACE). April traffic was 835,327 tons, down 21% compared with the 1.057 million in April 2024.

The 2025 numbers are up against an almost 2% gain in 2024 tonnage.

Inbound shipments in the first four months of 2025 – those coming from off the river system – totaled 1.411 million tons, down 14% compared with the same period in 2024. Outbound shipments totaled 1.405 million tons, down 12% compared with the same period in 2024. Internal shipments – those sent between port operations on the river – totaled 1.048 million tons, down 21%.

Following are the top five shipment categories by tonnage in the first four months of 2025, with the percentage change from 2024.
• Sand, gravel, rock: 1.291 million tons (down 20%)
• Chemical fertilizer: 933,566 tons (down 14%)
• Iron and Steel: 362,906 tons (up 4%)
• Soybeans: 347,990 tons (up 25%)
• Wheat: 239,058 tons (down 26%)

Shell, who manages port operations in Van Buren and the Port of Fort Smith, predicted in February that tonnage would take a hit if Trump’s tariffs were deep and broad. He said after Monday’s report that the supply line now is somewhat paralyzed because of the on-again, off-again uncertainty of tariff announcements.

“I understand what the Trump Administration is trying to accomplish and I agree in principle, but they should use a surgical scalpel instead of a chainsaw,” Shell noted. “All in all the tariffs are the biggest drag on the economy and the imports and exports, but I hope that the Trump Administration and Congress work diligently to get the agreements they need to steer the economy back in the correct direction.”

He also said rains have slowed barge traffic, but that had a negligible impact on traffic in April and into May.

TONNAGE HISTORY, RIVER INFO
Tonnage shipped on the Arkansas River in 2024 totaled 12.446 million tons, up 1.95% compared with 2023 tonnage. The increase was driven by a 13% increase in sand, gravel, rock shipments, and 8% and 41% gains, respectively, in wheat and soybean shipments.

Inbound shipments – those coming from off the river system – totaled 3.793 million tons during 2024, down 16% compared with 2023. Outbound shipments totaled 4.769 million tons, up 134% compared with 2023. Internal shipments – those sent between port operations on the river – totaled 3.884 million tons, up 10%.

The Arkansas River system – McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) – is 445 miles long and stretches from the confluence of the Mississippi River to the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa, Okla. The controlled waterway has 18 locks and dams, with 13 in Arkansas and five in Oklahoma. The river also has five commercial ports: Pine Bluff, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Muskogee, Okla., and the Tulsa Port of Catoosa in Oklahoma.