Produce shipments in the east are generally light, which is normal for this time of the year. However, with most dry freight loads not paying nearly as well as fresh and fruits and vegetables, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at what perishable are out there for hauling.
Central and southern areas of Florida are shipping in light volume mixed vegetables, melons, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus. Besides light volume, it makes it even more difficult because some Florida items are not compatible for loading with other Floridia commodies. For example, you can load tomatoes and grapefruit on the same truck in the 55 to 60-degree temperature range, but not not oranges and tomatoes because oranges should be maintained in a colder temperature range.
It may be necessary to fill out your Florida load with something such as cabbage and greens out of south Georgia. Again, cabbage and greens will work on the same load with oranges, but not grapefruit and tomatoes.
Further up the east coast, North Carolina is the nation’s leading shipper of sweet potatoes. There are several sweet potatoes shippers, mostly found from northeast of Raleigh to southeast of Raleigh.
In New York state, storage onions are coming out of Orange county. There’s also some onions, plus cabbage coming out of the central and western regions of New York.
Finally, northern Maine is shipping light to moderat amounts of potatoes from Aroostrock County.
South Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2200 to Philly.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $2000 to Orlando.