Author Archive
Various citrus items are now being shipped from California, Arizona, Texas 
and Florida. No major freeze damage or quality problems have been reported from the major shipping areas, so this should reduce your chances of claims at destination.
In California and Arizona, loadings of items ranging from oranges to lemons are pretty normal…In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas overall loadings of grapefruit, which accounts for about 75 percent of the citrus volume, are expected to be off about 20 percent from a year ago….Florida continues shipping product ranging from oranges to grapefruit and tangerines.
Note: It’s okay mixing citrus together in reefer units ranging from oranges to tangerines, mandrians an clementines. But mixing these items with products such as lettuce, broccoli and other veggies available in the same region can result in loss of quality and claims, especially on longer hauls.
California citrus — grossing about $4800 to Atlanta.
Texas citrus – about $2300 to Chicago.
Florida citrus – about $2400 to New York.
I haven’t had the opportunity to try it, but I’ve read some consumer rave reviews on the Junami apple, a new variety out of Washington state. There’s apparently enough volume with the new fruit that some retailers will be promoting it.
The Junami is described as fruity, tangy, crispy and incredibly juicy. Retailers should be pricing the Junami around $1.99 per pound.
There’s another apple variety, the Lady Alice, which was introduced to consumers about five years ago. It is described as having a subtle sweet-tart flavor. A plus for the Lady Alice, it is slow to brown, making it a neat apple for salads, cheese platters and for use by slicers.
Both the Lady Alice and the Junami are said to be great storage apples and build favor while in storage before they are shipped to your favorite supermarket.
By Rand McNally
The award-winning IntelliRoute® TND™ series was built from the ground up for the professional truck driver. And with a refurbished device from Rand McNally, you’ll get all the benefits of a new GPS at a significant savings.
The refurbished IntelliRoute® TND™ 500 is available for $129.99. The refurbished IntelliRoute® TND™ 510 for $239.99 and the TND™ 710 for $319.99 at Rand McNally’s online store.
The devices come with a complimentary upgrade to the most recent map data available from Rand McNally. Read more about Rand McNally’s refurbished devices.
Now available for $39.95. The #1 selling trucker’s road atlas in North America, spiral-bound with laminated pages for additional durability.
Even when the recent deadline for a Teamsters strike at the Hunts Point Terminal Wholesale passed and the local’s workers kept right on working, I wasn’t a bit surprised. Not only has there not been a work stoppage over the past 25 years, I’m familiar enough with the wholesalers, and particularly their leaders, to know if it’s at all possible, a strike would be avoided. It was. A new contract was reached.
Nothing is more critical to the tenants on Hunts Point than to keep those 53-foot reefer units rolling into the terminal.
No trucks, means the wholesalers lose customers (retail supermarkets, foodservice, etc.) who decades ago decided to buy directly from produce shippers whenever they could. These customers, as is the case with terminal markets across the United States, often buy 70, 80, 90 percent of their fresh fruits and vegetables direct – primarily because they see cutting out the middlemen as saving money. Of course, wholesalers make good arguments such as a produce market offers wide selections of product, ranges in quality, color, taste, size and even price advantages.
My first visit to Hunts Point was about 25 years ago and I estimate I’ve been back there 50 times since. During this period I always made it a point to visit with as many truckers as possible who were delivering fresh produce on the South Bronx market. I also got to know many of the Hunts Point wholesalers on a first name basis.
Through the years Hunts Point developed a horrible reputation in the trucking industry. Complaints ranged form kicked loads, phoney claims to get reductions in freight rates, to delays in unloading, many times as an excuse for wholesalers to take advantage of free refrigerated warehousing at the expense of the driver. Then there were issues ranging from lack of restroom facilities to restaurant accomodations.
Over the years in my talks with drivers and wholesalers, many of these issues have been addressed. Now when talking with truckers about Hunts Points, there stil complaints, but I also hear a lot more good things than I used to. Driver shortages, refusals to return to deliver to wholesalers who “dump” on you, tend to change things. If these issues do not improve, then trucker is at fault for returning to take another “beating.”
When you get down to it, Hunts Point in some ways is no different than other wholesale terminal markets. Some companies are simply better than others whether talking about their dealings with transportation, or dealing with their suppliers and customers.
One consistency I’ve noticed over the years, is the people who are leaders on Hunts Point such as Matthew D’Arrigo (D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of New York) and Myra Gordon, both of the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, are first class individuals. I could also say the same about a number of other people at Hunts Point.
When you have people of intergrity in leadership positions, I knew if there was any way a union conflict could be resolved, it would be accomplished. It’s also another reason why some truckers have fewers complaints about Hunts Point.
There’s been some freeze damage to fresh produce in the West this month, but overall it should not have a big affect on your loading opportunities. The biggest event will be the cold of January 16-17 slowing the growth of some items, which in turn reduces volume for shipping.
There’s been pretty good movement of Iceberg lettuce and romaine out of the Yuma District, but expect reduced shipments beginning in early Februrary….In the nearby Brawley and El Centro areas of the Southern California desert broccoli escaped freeze damage, but again, shipments will eventually decline for a period while the product rebounds from the cold.
As for strawberries, it looks like Oxnard and Orange County in California dodged the freeze bullet, but product out of Santa Maria will have lighter than normal loadings through the middle of February.
Yuma lettuce – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
In the San Joaquin Valley, oranges apparently escaped freeze damage, while mandrains were not so lucky, especially from areas north of Fresno.
Driver turnover rates among the nation’s fleets has gone up and continues to be high. It has increased with small trucking companies too, but remains well below the big carriers.
The American Trucking Associations reports turnover rate for large fleets to be at 89% for the third quarter of 2011. That is up 10% from the second quarter rate of 79%. The driver turnover rate has risen 50 percentage points since the start of 2010.
Meanwhile, small truck load fleets had a 57% driver turnover rate, up 10 points since the third quarter of 2008.
By Bully Dog
The newest product line Bully Dog is proud to introduce is the Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner (HDGT). In today’s Webinar we will go over the product details including digital gauges, a driving coach and many others as well downloadable upgraded Heavy Duty tuning options. The HDGT also includes the exclusive first relase of Bully Dog’s upgrade tuning for 2011 and 2012 Cummins applications.. The HDGT is taking big rig performance to the next level and beyond.
Register for a session now by clicking a date below:
Thu, Jan 19, 2012 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST (TODAY)
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST
Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.
We’re starting to get a little more information on that Florida freeze that hit 
the night of January 3rd, particularly in regards to how it might affect loading opportunities for tomatoes. The Immokalee area is the primary winter production site for winter tomatoes in the state. As is often the case, some fields and areas got colder than others, or stayed below freezing for more hours.
There’s about 100 loads a week of mature green and plum (roma) tomatoes being shipped a week. However, plants affected by the early January freeze are expected to produce a lot less next month. So expect Immokalee tomato loading opportuities to plung for a couple of weeks starting in mid February.
Mostly mixed loads due to light volume this time of the year from Florida. So you can expect multiple pick ups that may range from tomatoes, to various veggies, strawberries and citrus. Be sure and add 0nto the freight rate for mulitple picks and drops.
Florida produce grossing about $3000 to Boston.
The Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner incorporates Bully Dog’s SAE tested and emissions 
tested diesel engine tuning with a complete gauge package, diagnostic features and the famous economy focused driving coach to bring you a tool that will maximize your vehicle utility. Check out our product feature highlight videos and our fliers to fully explore the potential that the Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner holds for your Heavy Duty diesel tractor.
If it were not for the South American country of Chile, we would not have a lot of 
produce items during the winter (which is Chile’s summer), or at least if so it would be a lot more expensive. I’ve lamented over the California grape season ending, because their grapes were fabulous this year. Chile will be stretched to equal the quality and taste of California this winter, and if they do it will probably be later in the season. Best buys on Chilean grapes at your store should occur during February and March…..There also are peaches, nectarines and plums now available from Chile, as well blueberries and raspberries.
The Chileans do a good job of growing fresh produce, wine grapes and salmon — and they just keep getting better. I’ve been to Chile and have witnessed it first hand. A great country — and lovely people!!
Various citrus items are now being shipped from California, Arizona, Texas and Florida. No major freeze damage or quality problems have been reported from the major shipping areas, so this should reduce your chances of claims at destination.
In California and Arizona, loadings of items ranging from oranges to lemons are pretty normal…In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas overall loadings of grapefruit, which accounts for about 75 percent of the citrus volume, are expected to be off about 20 percent from a year ago….Florida continues shipping product ranging from oranges to grapefruit and tangerines.
Note: It’s okay mixing citrus together in reefer units ranging from oranges to tangerines, mandrians an clementines. But mixing these items with products such as lettuce, broccoli and other veggies available in the same region can result in loss of quality and claims, especially on longer hauls.
California citrus — grossing about $4800 to Atlanta.
Texas citrus – about $2300 to Chicago.
Florida citrus – about $2400 to New York.
I haven’t had the opportunity to try it, but I’ve read some consumer rave reviews on the Junami apple, a new variety out of Washington state. There’s apparently enough volume with the new fruit that some retailers will be promoting it.
The Junami is described as fruity, tangy, crispy and incredibly juicy. Retailers should be pricing the Junami around $1.99 per pound.
There’s another apple variety, the Lady Alice, which was introduced to consumers about five years ago. It is described as having a subtle sweet-tart flavor. A plus for the Lady Alice, it is slow to brown, making it a neat apple for salads, cheese platters and for use by slicers.
Both the Lady Alice and the Junami are said to be great storage apples and build favor while in storage before they are shipped to your favorite supermarket.
By Rand McNally
The award-winning IntelliRoute® TND™ series was built from the ground up for the professional truck driver. And with a refurbished device from Rand McNally, you’ll get all the benefits of a new GPS at a significant savings.
The refurbished IntelliRoute® TND™ 500 is available for $129.99. The refurbished IntelliRoute® TND™ 510 for $239.99 and the TND™ 710 for $319.99 at Rand McNally’s online store.
The devices come with a complimentary upgrade to the most recent map data available from Rand McNally. Read more about Rand McNally’s refurbished devices.
Now available for $39.95. The #1 selling trucker’s road atlas in North America, spiral-bound with laminated pages for additional durability.
Even when the recent deadline for a Teamsters strike at the Hunts Point Terminal Wholesale passed and the local’s workers kept right on working, I wasn’t a bit surprised. Not only has there not been a work stoppage over the past 25 years, I’m familiar enough with the wholesalers, and particularly their leaders, to know if it’s at all possible, a strike would be avoided. It was. A new contract was reached.
Nothing is more critical to the tenants on Hunts Point than to keep those 53-foot reefer units rolling into the terminal.
No trucks, means the wholesalers lose customers (retail supermarkets, foodservice, etc.) who decades ago decided to buy directly from produce shippers whenever they could. These customers, as is the case with terminal markets across the United States, often buy 70, 80, 90 percent of their fresh fruits and vegetables direct – primarily because they see cutting out the middlemen as saving money. Of course, wholesalers make good arguments such as a produce market offers wide selections of product, ranges in quality, color, taste, size and even price advantages.
My first visit to Hunts Point was about 25 years ago and I estimate I’ve been back there 50 times since. During this period I always made it a point to visit with as many truckers as possible who were delivering fresh produce on the South Bronx market. I also got to know many of the Hunts Point wholesalers on a first name basis.
Through the years Hunts Point developed a horrible reputation in the trucking industry. Complaints ranged form kicked loads, phoney claims to get reductions in freight rates, to delays in unloading, many times as an excuse for wholesalers to take advantage of free refrigerated warehousing at the expense of the driver. Then there were issues ranging from lack of restroom facilities to restaurant accomodations.
Over the years in my talks with drivers and wholesalers, many of these issues have been addressed. Now when talking with truckers about Hunts Points, there stil complaints, but I also hear a lot more good things than I used to. Driver shortages, refusals to return to deliver to wholesalers who “dump” on you, tend to change things. If these issues do not improve, then trucker is at fault for returning to take another “beating.”
When you get down to it, Hunts Point in some ways is no different than other wholesale terminal markets. Some companies are simply better than others whether talking about their dealings with transportation, or dealing with their suppliers and customers.
One consistency I’ve noticed over the years, is the people who are leaders on Hunts Point such as Matthew D’Arrigo (D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of New York) and Myra Gordon, both of the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, are first class individuals. I could also say the same about a number of other people at Hunts Point.
When you have people of intergrity in leadership positions, I knew if there was any way a union conflict could be resolved, it would be accomplished. It’s also another reason why some truckers have fewers complaints about Hunts Point.
There’s been some freeze damage to fresh produce in the West this month, but overall it should not have a big affect on your loading opportunities. The biggest event will be the cold of January 16-17 slowing the growth of some items, which in turn reduces volume for shipping.
There’s been pretty good movement of Iceberg lettuce and romaine out of the Yuma District, but expect reduced shipments beginning in early Februrary….In the nearby Brawley and El Centro areas of the Southern California desert broccoli escaped freeze damage, but again, shipments will eventually decline for a period while the product rebounds from the cold.
As for strawberries, it looks like Oxnard and Orange County in California dodged the freeze bullet, but product out of Santa Maria will have lighter than normal loadings through the middle of February.
Yuma lettuce – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
In the San Joaquin Valley, oranges apparently escaped freeze damage, while mandrains were not so lucky, especially from areas north of Fresno.
Driver turnover rates among the nation’s fleets has gone up and continues to be high. It has increased with small trucking companies too, but remains well below the big carriers.
The American Trucking Associations reports turnover rate for large fleets to be at 89% for the third quarter of 2011. That is up 10% from the second quarter rate of 79%. The driver turnover rate has risen 50 percentage points since the start of 2010.
Meanwhile, small truck load fleets had a 57% driver turnover rate, up 10 points since the third quarter of 2008.
By Bully Dog
The newest product line Bully Dog is proud to introduce is the Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner (HDGT). In today’s Webinar we will go over the product details including digital gauges, a driving coach and many others as well downloadable upgraded Heavy Duty tuning options. The HDGT also includes the exclusive first relase of Bully Dog’s upgrade tuning for 2011 and 2012 Cummins applications.. The HDGT is taking big rig performance to the next level and beyond.
Register for a session now by clicking a date below:
Thu, Jan 19, 2012 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CST (TODAY)
Tue, Jan 24, 2012 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST
Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.
We’re starting to get a little more information on that Florida freeze that hit the night of January 3rd, particularly in regards to how it might affect loading opportunities for tomatoes. The Immokalee area is the primary winter production site for winter tomatoes in the state. As is often the case, some fields and areas got colder than others, or stayed below freezing for more hours.
There’s about 100 loads a week of mature green and plum (roma) tomatoes being shipped a week. However, plants affected by the early January freeze are expected to produce a lot less next month. So expect Immokalee tomato loading opportuities to plung for a couple of weeks starting in mid February.
Mostly mixed loads due to light volume this time of the year from Florida. So you can expect multiple pick ups that may range from tomatoes, to various veggies, strawberries and citrus. Be sure and add 0nto the freight rate for mulitple picks and drops.
Florida produce grossing about $3000 to Boston.
The Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner incorporates Bully Dog’s SAE tested and emissions tested diesel engine tuning with a complete gauge package, diagnostic features and the famous economy focused driving coach to bring you a tool that will maximize your vehicle utility. Check out our product feature highlight videos and our fliers to fully explore the potential that the Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner holds for your Heavy Duty diesel tractor.
If it were not for the South American country of Chile, we would not have a lot of produce items during the winter (which is Chile’s summer), or at least if so it would be a lot more expensive. I’ve lamented over the California grape season ending, because their grapes were fabulous this year. Chile will be stretched to equal the quality and taste of California this winter, and if they do it will probably be later in the season. Best buys on Chilean grapes at your store should occur during February and March…..There also are peaches, nectarines and plums now available from Chile, as well blueberries and raspberries.
The Chileans do a good job of growing fresh produce, wine grapes and salmon — and they just keep getting better. I’ve been to Chile and have witnessed it first hand. A great country — and lovely people!!