Posts Tagged “produce truckers”
Volatile late summer and early fall weather, that turned into a heat wave hitting triple digits in some areas, will be making otherwise normal California lettuce hauling opportunities more difficult to predict.
This also could very well increase your chances of claims at destination. Abnormally hot weather can lead to seed stem and puffer heads, not to mention tip burn and possibly some mildrew. Just use extra caution with California lettuce shipments the next few weeks.
Shippers already are expecting some shipping gaps with lettuce towards in the end of October. Lettuce loading opportunities also will likely be diminished because the seasonal transition from the Salinas Valley to the Huron District in the San Joaquin Valley may not be very smooth. Due to the extreme drought and the water shortages, there will be less volume coming out of Huron, which normally ships for about three to four weeks, beginning in late October. Once Huron is finished, the season shifts to the Imperial Valley and Yuma District.
Produce truckers will probably about as good luck picking up other vegetables items such as broccoli and cauliflower out of Salinas or Santa Maria, or carrots from the Bakersfield area.
San Joaquin Valley grapes continue to provide as heavy a volume as anything out of California, currently averaging about 800 truckloads per week.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes – grossing about $7300 to New York City.
Produce loads to Canada should increase in 2015.
It looks like there will be substantially more opportunities for U.S. produce truckers to haul fresh fruits and vegetables across our northern border into Canada.
The USDA has recently published new information indicating Canada looks likely to import far more US fruits and vegetables during the coming year, pushing the value of American exports to Canada to $21.7 billion.
Overall, the value of fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts exported by the US in 2015 could outstrip that of grain and feed for first time in the country’s history, according to new information published by the US Department of Agriculture.
Fresh produce exports including nuts are forecast to generate a record US $37 billion in 2014, the report said, thanks to strong demand and higher prices.
And the sector appears set to buck the prevailing trend as far as US agricultural exports are concerned, with lower prices for corn, wheat and soybeans expected to push down the value of the country’s exports to US $144.5 billion, down US $8 billion or 5.25 per cent from the previous year.
As for imports, the US is expected to spend US $117 billion on agricultural products in 2015, an increase of US $7.5 billion, which the USDA attributed to projected growth in the American economy.
Weather related issues will cut into potato hauling opportunities this season in Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin and the Red River Valley, but there will still be ample hauls available for produce truckers.
The effects of summer rain and hail will likely put a dent in potato loadings this season, but growers are optimistic at the beginning of harvests. A few Colorado growers started digging during the past week, but the harvest is just ready to get into full swing. Around 20 percent of Colorado acreage received hail damage this summer, but most of it was minor. It only means a bumper crop has turned into a more normal crop.
Late rains in Wisconsin were complicating the start of the 2014 harvest. Some diggings in Wisconsin started about three weeks ago, and rains are expected to lower yields, but more normal potato shipments are still expected this season.
Central Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $1100 to Chicago.
Similar circumstance are being heard from Idaho potato shippers. While its still not known how much, yields, volume and loadings will be affected, in most years it’s a darned good thing for everyone, if fewer, not more potatoes are coming out of Idaho. The state is just now entering volume shipments.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5600 to New York City.
In the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota, the nation’s largest shipper of dry land red potatoes should provide decent loading opportunities this season, but no one is predicting any records for volume. Most Red River Valley potato shippers see an average sized crop, if not somewhat below average. It will probably be October before good volume is available for hauling out of the valley. In the meantime, there are some loading opportunities for red potatoes out of Long Prairie, MN, although some of those spuds are delivered to the valley for washing, packing and shipping.
Long Prairie potatoes – grossing about $2800 to Dallas.
Produce truckers will once again have plenty of opportunities to haul another large apple crop this season…Also, here’s a brief roundup of what appears will be a record cherry shipping season coming to an end.
The third largest shipments of U.S. apples on record is expected for the 2014-15 season, which recently started.
The U.S. Apple Association is is predicting total U.S. apple shipments will be 263.8 million 42-pound cartons, which is very close to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate, also released in August, which was 259.2 million.
Estimates from individual regions are: 174.3 million 42-pound units from the west (compared to 174.5 million from the USDA estimate) 55.9 million in the east (54.4 from the USDA) and 33.6 million in the Midwest (30.3 million from the USDA). Washington, the largest producing state, has an estimated production of 162 million 42-pound units for overall production. The industry has cited 140.2 million units as an anticipated fresh pack this year.
Cherry Shipments
Northwest cherry shipments, which are nearing the end of the season, could have record loadings . As of August 18, shippers were on pace to ship 23.4 million boxes of fruit, which would break the 2012 record of 23.1 million cartons. The revised estimate is up from pre-season estimates of more than 22 million boxes.
Washington state fruit – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
The California drought is hurting everyone from growers to shippers – and produce truckers – to the consumer, who ultimately is paying more for their food.
Groundwater supplies pumped from wells will make up most of the shortfall in agricultural water caused by the California drought.
A new study says the drought will still result in $810 million in lost crop revenues this year. The study, “Economic Analysis of the 2014 Drought for California Agriculture,” published by the University of California at Davis Center for Watershed Schiences, the study estimated the total statewide economic costs of the drought at $2.2 billion, including the loss of 17,100 seasonal and part time jobs.
Crop values of the state’s fruit and nut trees will decline by $277 million because of the drought, while losses to vegetables and non-tree fruit are estimated at $47 million in 2014.. The drought is expected to decrease cropland in California by 428,000 acres in 2014. Of that total, fruit and nut trees account for 41,000 acres of the total reduction, with vegetables and non tree fruit representing 10,000 acres of idled ground.
The surface water reduction caused by the drought, according to the report, is estimated at 6.6 million acre-feet. The increase in groundwater pumping of water was estimated 5.1 million acre-feet, leaving the net water shortage of 1.6 million acre-feet. Besides crop revenue losses of $810 million, other costs include additional water pumping expenses of $454 million and $203 million in livestock and dairy revenue loss. That totals $1.5 billion in direct costs.
Opportunities for South Texas produce loads have been increasing over the years, but we haven’t seen nothin’ yet. Produce truckers will have a lot more chances for Lower Rio Grande Valley produce loads than ever.
The reasons are two-fold. First, more fruits and vegetables are being grown in Mexico, with many of the operations financed by U.S. produce companies. Second, the completion of a Mexican highway between West Mexico’s Mazatln and Eastern Mexico’s Matamoros is reducing transit times to South Texas warehouses. This also is cutting mileage and reducing freight costs for produce receivers thoughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada.
40,000-pound shipments of produce through Texas ports soared from 101,400 truckloads in 2007 to 159,482 truckloads in 2012, an increase of 58 percent.
Much of the produce used to go through Nogales, AZ and still does. During this same period, Arizona ports had 112,328 truckloads in 2007 and increased to 130,022 by 2012, a 16 percent hike. Additionally, at California ports there were 43,336 truckloads of produce crossing in 2007, which increased to 61,716 truckloads in 2012, up 42 percent.
Based on these trends of the last five years, a USDA study projects total Mexican imports at U.S. ports will hit 470,000 truckloads by 2020, an increase of 32 percent. Texas ports are projected to grow to 260,000 truckloads, a 62 percent increase.
There are also plans by Mexico to make improvements to Mexican Federal Highway 40 connecting Mazatlan and Reynosa, the latter, which is located just across the river from McAllen and Pharr, TX. This could increase Mexican produce imports to South Texas another 73 percent by 2020.
Texas produce and Mexican produce crossing into the Lower Rio Grande Valley – grossing about $3200 to Chicago.
Mexician produce is causing a flood of volume crossing the U.S. border. In fact it is so much product, combined with lousy winter weather spanning much of the US, it is killing demand (in other words consumers aren’t buying as much and retailers aren’t ordering as much).
A main concern in this situation is some shippers will do just about anything to sell their product before it rots. That can mean rolling loads of produce unsold — in other words on consignment. This too often results produce truckers having to change destinations, facing more drops than originally told, etc.
This makes it especially important you are dealing with good, honest shippers, truck brokers, receivers – to make sure you are getting fairly compensated for any additional mileage, drops, etc.
West Mexico vegetables came on strong in February as delayed volumes of tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers finally started crossing at Nogales, AZ and in South Texas. Shippers, meanwhile, were facing poor demand thanks to a series of winter storms in the Midwest and Northeast.
One example is peak supplies of romas are now hitting Nogales three weeks later than normal.
After a lot of cold weather, replantings, etc, the warm weather in Mexico is resulting in big volumes. However, the crappy wether continues in much of the US.
As spring approaches there also big volume with eggplant, vine ripe tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers. This situation is expected to continue for at least another two months.
Mexican produce crossing the border at Nogales – grossing about $3600 to Chicago.
It’s New Year’s Day and pardon me if I reflect a bit on the past year.
As for this website, HaulProduce.com, I can’t thank each of you enough for visting the website. Apparently you are finding it useful in your business. That was my whole purpose in launcing this site nearly two years ago.
I receive calls on a regular basis, and in many cases when you are looking for produce loads. Some of you call under the impression I am either a carrier, logistics company or a truck broker – none of which I pretend to be. Haul Produce.com, much like the radio reports I did for nearly 20 years (known at the Produce Truckers Network) provided produce reports on loading opportunities, quality of product you’d be hauling and a general idea of what kind of a gross freight rate you should receive.
Our number of visits to the website continue to increase. It has a relatively new feature, where you can subscribe for free, which continues to have more people in the trucking industry signing up. With the free subscription, you receive an e-mail consisting of a paragraph relating to the most recent post. If that bit of information interests you, you can click on the e-mail link and read to the whole story.
Again, thank you for your support. If you know of a fellow trucker or someone in the trucking industry who may benefit from the HaulProduce.com website, please let them know about us.
God bless you, your family and business in the New Year. — Bill and Vivian Martin
Produce truckers should not expect this summer to bring normal loading opportunitunites for many New York state vegetables.
Shipping gaps and less volume due to torrential spring rains interrupted spring plantings on many of the Empire State’s commodites, ranging from sweet corn, to green beans, cabbage, squash and potatoes.
This situation exists pretty much in every shipping area of the state.
For example shipping gaps on New York sweet corn will start in early August. In similar situation exists for green beans.
There also are question marks relating to New York cabbage shipments. Volume is predicted to be sporatic with shipping gaps occuring in late August and early September.
Excessive rains and recent triple digit heat a few weeks ago are expected to cut Orange County, New York’s onion shipments by 10 percent this coming season. Limited shipmentes are underway. Like many New York state veggies, these storage onions are typically shipped to East Coast markets through April.
The USDA ranked New York as the 7th leading vegetable shipping in the nation in 2011 for fresh market vegetables and 7th in the nation for production of processing vegetables.
New York vegetable shipments originate from numerous areas spread across this giant states. Likewise, apples may not come from as many different regions, but still are shipped from six primary areas the Eastern Hudson Valley, Western Hudson Valley, Champlain Valley, Central, Lake Country and Niagra Frontier.
New York ranks second nationally in apple shipments. It’s new season starts in a few weeks with an excellent crop being forecast.
There will be fewer apples for hauling in two of four of the leading eastern states this fall. 
New York got hit the hardest by frost related weather earlier this year, but there also will be fewer loads available for produce haulers in North Carolina. Pennsylvania and Virginia will be up in volume only slightly.
New York state’s Western and Central apple shipping areas were hit the hardest, with less frost damage occuring in the eastern part of the state, home of the Hudson Valley. Still, New York’s volume will be down 52 percent from last apple season ( 590 million pounds compared to 1.2 billion pound a year ago).
In Pennsylvania, apples are forecast to be at 481 million pounds. It shipped 458 million pounds last year.
North Carolina took a beating. This year it expects to load 40 million pounds of apples compared to 140 million pounds in 2011.
The leading apple shipper in the mid-west, Michigan will ship 85 percent fewer apples this season.
Ironically, Washington state, which normally ships about half of the nation’s apples every year, is expected to account for 77 percent of the nation’s apple loads for 2012-13. This is despite suffering some hail damage. The state was on track for historic volume, until the fowl weather hit. Still, Washington state is expected to have its second largest amount of apple shipments on record.
One difference produce haulers can expect out of the Northwest this season is for Washington shippers to be packing more apples than normal in the smaller, consumer bags. This is because Michigan normally is heavy with bagged apples, and Washington packers will be looking to help fill this void.
Produce truckers should always watch what is being loaded, not only for proper count, but for quality and appearance of the product being loaded. This is especially true if you are hauling apples from most shipping areas this season. Expect shippers to be loading some fruit with pits or hail damage marks on it. Just make sure whom you are hauling for is aware of this situation to help reduce changes of claims or rejected loads. Also, be sure and note it on the bill of lading.
Washington state apples grossing – about $5600 to New York City.