Federation and Global Insight. container traffic, breaking last October’s record of 1.51 million, while September is forecast at 1.49 million. October, traditionally the busiest month of the year as retailers bring in merchandise for the holiday sales season, is forecast at 1.54 million this year. “The holiday season is the most important part of the year for our industry, so it’s essential that we starting looking at these numbers and watching for any problems as early as possible. NRF Vice President and International Trade Counsel Erik Autor said. Nationwide, the ports surveyed handled 1.3 million TEU of container traffic in April, the most recent month for which actual numbers are available. That was down 5.8 percent from April 2006 but up 2 percent from this March.