Archive For The “News” Category
There have been an amazing advances in trucking equipment and other 
technology since I first started covering the transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables in 1974. However, some things never change. The human element remains. In order for both the driver and the other parties involved in the successful loading, transit and delivery of the produce, honesty, fairness, and respect must be at the center of the business deal.
A webinar was held July 18 where a set of “best practices” have been developed by the North American Transportation Working Group (NATWG), which consists of members of the produce industry seeking improvements between their trade and the trucking industry. Among those participating were individuals from Australia, Mexico, Canada and the USA.
For decades it has been realized that some things never change. The need for communication and documentation are vital when hauling fresh produce, and those was emphasized once again at the webinar.
The advancements in technology was discussed at the webinar. For example there is becoming more use of temperature recording devices in transit that are combined with GPS systems so real time temperatures can be monitored. However, without good documentation of the load, all the technology around may not be able to protect thosed involved in the load, whether it be shipper, carrier, or driver. That documentation can be anything from photos, to bill of ladings, videos, e-mails, or a combination of these.
The NATWG has developed abest practices and checklists are on the group’s website at http://naptwg.org. It is a one-page checklist for shippers, truckers and receivers to provide important infomation to those involved in the load .
Jim Gordon, operations manager for Ippolito Fruit & Produce Ltd. of Toronto has been in the produce industry for 40 years. He observed that early in his carerr he realized the importance of respectful treatment of truck drivers, plus the need for fast turnaround times to get them back on the road. This is a key to maintaining good relationships with carriers.
This becomes even more critical with the new hours-of-service regulations because loading and unloading time now counts toward their driving time, Gordon said.
Top transportation tips
- Inspect produce with the truck driver present before loading and unloading.
- Check pulp temperatures at loading and unloading and note them on the bill of lading.
- Pre-cool produce before loading.
- Don’t put temperature recorders where vents will blow on them in the trailer to ensure accurate readings.
- Require carriers to provide constant temperatures rather than relying on cycling patterns of refer units.
- Make sure all documents are completely filled out to avoid delays at border crossings.
NATWG is to be commended for their efforts in improving working relationships between the produce and trucking industries. Unfortunately, there are those in the produce and trucking industries who are not as noble as the NATWG appears to be. Thus, recommendations and guidelines on a piece of paper will only go so far.
Something with more “teeth” in it is ultimately needed.
The produce industry has enjoyed protections from the federal government through the USDA by a vehicle known as the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. For over 80 years PACA has provided mediation and arbitration when there are business disputes between parties in the produce industry.
Since at least the 1960s or 70s there have been occasional efforts to bring produce trucking into the PACA to provide these same protections where there is a claim that cannot be resolved. Unfortunately, some in the produce industry have successfully fought these efforts.
New Yorkers could be forking over more green for their summer fruits and 
salads — as record-breaking heat waves and droughts shrivel crops across the nation, sending prices soaring.
Dozens of field-picked vegetables and fruits got baked out of business in the past three weeks, causing overnight shortages at Hunts Point in The Bronx, the world’s largest produce marketplace.
Fresh-picked cucumbers, for example, have soared 57 percent at the wholesale level since the start of July.
Boston lettuce has skyrocketed 80 percent, while blueberries are up 69 percent.
“Wholesale prices for certain field crops are becoming a lot higher than expected,” said Terry Long, an analyst at the US Department of Agriculture.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: New York Post
By Paul Tharp
In a nutshell, produce truckers too often receive the shaft in unfair claims and 
deductions from the produce industry. And the produce industry, which has protections in disputes, won’t even consider allowing these same truckers the protections they enjoy. More about this in a moment.
It is turning into a relatively uneventful produce shipping and hauling season, as far as total produce volume as well as supply and demand for refrigerated equipment. Rates remain strong from the major shipping areas, but not setting any records. Any produce shipping area that may be reporting a shortage of trucks is probably experiencing this shortage primarily due to not increasing the rates enough to attract more equipment. Often the shipping areas are off the beaten path, and providing more lower cost, basic or “hardware” produce items.
Also, when I describe the summer produce shipping season as “relatively uneventful,” I qualify that by saying there still are the usual unfair claims and deduction on loads at destination. Combine this with the fact, there have been a number of produce companies file for bankruptcy this year, it increases the odds that the trucker will be the last to paid, and probably not receive a dime of what is owed.
Many if not most produce companies receive protections under the Perishable Commodites Act (PACA) that provides protections and arbitation in disputes between members of the produce industry. However, as I’ve “preached” for decades now, truckers are not afforded the same protections. So if you are owed money by a bankrupt receiver, you are pretty much on your own in trying to collect monies owed. Even with a receiver not involved in a bankruptcy, and there is an unfair claim or deduction, unless you have an exceptional carrier, shipper or broker behind you, or you can afford a lawyer to represent you, mostly likely in a state hundreds if not thousands of miles away — you are out of luck.
Meanwhile, the produce industry continues to have meetings, conferences, teleconferences, etc. now and then, that promote good and fair treatment of produce truckers. This is honorable. There are actually some people in the industry that care and would love to see produce haulers receive the same protections as members of the produce industry. But they are easily in the minority and lack the clout to do much about it.
Large produce companies with political clout and money generally won’t consider PACA protections for truckers — and until this changes — no one in the Federal government has the will, stomach, or abililty to fight for this needed change. — Bill Martin
SALINAS, Calif. –TransFRESH Corporation has announced that in partnership with 
Landec Corporation, its Tectrol® Service Network storage solution for blueberries is now available featuring Landec’s BreatheWay® Technology supplied by Apio, Inc., offering growers and shippers further enhanced storage capability.
The specialized BreatheWay membrane technology delivers bag permeability characteristics that more precisely match blueberry respiration rates for better balanced atmospheres and storage stability.
“We are very pleased to introduce this further enhancement of the Tectrol Service Network storage solution for blueberries,” said Rich Macleod, TransFRESH vice president, pallet division North America. “With an increased interest from growers and shippers in blueberry storage capabilities, the application of the BreatheWay® membrane technology to the Tectrol blueberry storage solution now offers our business partners added storage benefits.”
The TransFRESH Tectrol team collaborated closely with Landec and its wholly owned subsidiary, Apio Inc., throughout the application of the BreatheWay technology to the Tectrol blueberry storage solution program.
TransFRESH also unveiled a pallet bag label for its blueberry program featuring a new contemporary blueberry image along with the TransFRESH logotype and Apio, Inc. BreatheWay® Technology identification and patent number.
About TransFRESH®
TransFRESH® Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB), is a pioneering and established global company, with nearly 50 years of experience in perishables transport. Tectrol® is the trademarked brand name for the TransFRESH® family of proprietary modified and controlled atmosphere systems and processes developed and owned by TransFRESH®. The Tectrol® Service Network™ services, markets and supports the Tectrol Pallet Systems operations and technologies. Since inception, TransFRESH’s innovations in packaging, equipment and sealing processes have established Tectrol® as the industry standard. For more information, visit the TransFRESH website at www.TransFresh.com.
About Apio, Inc.
Apio, Inc., founded in 1979 by five growers of celery in the Santa Maria Valley in the central coastal region of California has grown to become the leader in processing and marketing fresh-cut specialty packaged vegetables in the U.S. Headquartered in Guadalupe, California, Apio sells its specialty packaged vegetables in convenient bag and tray formats under the Eat Smart® brand. Apio’s fresh-cut specialty packaged vegetable products are unique in that they utilize the Landec Corporation BreatheWay® proprietary breathable packaging technology to extend the shelf life of specific produce. Landec acquired Apio in 1999. For more information about Apio visit Apio’s website at www.apioinc.com.
About Landec Corp.
Landec Corporation is a materials science company that leverages its proprietary polymer technologies, application development and innovation capabilities to develop and commercialize new products in food, agricultural and biomedical markets. Landec’s subsidiary, Apio, has become the leader in US fresh-cut specialty packaged vegetables by combining Landec’s proprietary food packaging technology with the capabilities of a large national food supplier, processor and distributor. Lifecore Biomedical, also a subsidiary of Landec, is a leading supplier of premium hyaluronan-based biomaterials for the ophthalmic and orthopedic markets. Landec’s Licensing Partnerships work closely with market-leading companies to develop and commercialize differentiated polymer-based products. For more information, visit Landec’s website at www.landec.com
News Release: TransFresh Corporation
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Atlanta, GA – As part of its cross-country tour, the Great Big Idaho® Potato 
Truck spent a few days enjoying the southern hospitality in Atlanta, Ga. One of its first stops was the Atlanta Food Truck Park on 1850 Howell Mill Road. Lunchtime visitors had an opportunity to view this “spudtacular” vehicle and four local Meals On Wheels agencies received a total of 350,000 servings of Idahoan Mashed Potatoes, ready-to-serve, dehydrated potato products.
The Idaho Potato Commission built the truck, a larger-than-life version of the vintage Idaho potato postcard, in celebration of its milestone 75th Anniversary. Weighing in at six tons (the equivalent of 32,346 medium-sized Idaho® potatoes), the Great Big Idaho® Potato is traversing the country to greet fans and to help raise funds and awareness for the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA), the oldest and largest national organization dedicated to helping end senior hunger.
“Idaho® potatoes generate more than $4 billion dollars in revenue annually and employ more than 30,000 people. Agriculture and potatoes in particular are the primary reasons Idaho is among the most fiscally sound states in the nation,” explained Frank Muir, president and CEO, IPC.
The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck made its national debut at the Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho last December when ESPN prominently featured it several times during the game. Since then, the Truck has made several public appearances and at every venue, the most frequently asked question is: “Is it real?” We’ll never tell, but consider that the Great Big Idaho® Potato…
* Would take more than 10,000 years to grow.
* Is 1,102 times heavier than the largest potato ever grown, which weighed 11 pounds.
* Would take two years and nine months to bake.
* Could make 30,325 servings of mashed potatoes and more than 1.4 million (1,455,570) average-sized fries!
The Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck was created and built by Chris Schofield and Sharolyn Spruce of Weiser, Idaho. With the help of a few specialized contractors, they spent an entire year designing and building this incredible vehicle. The Kenworth Sales Company and Western Trailer, both based in Boise, Idaho, also aided with the construction.
To find out when the Great Big Idaho® Potato Truck will be in a city near you, please visit www.bigidahopotato.com. The website provides in-depth information about the Truck, the IPC’s partnership with MOWAA and is updated regularly with tales and photos from the road.
Source: Idaho Potato Commission
Fred Plotsky and his staff at Cool Runnings arrange about 8,000 loads a year. 
He sees the biggest issue facing trucker is financing, followed by the rules and regulations on the trucking industry.
“However,” he adds, “If you can’t get the financing, the rules and regulations don’t matter.”
The president of Cool Runnings, based in Kenosha, WI, says truckers are facing rising costs with everything from tires to fuel and labor. An engine overhaul that was $13,000 two years ago now costs $20,000 to $21,000. The mechanics who work on those diesel engines have hourly rates that have increased from $60 to $100 per hour.
While the produce rates have gone up in recent weeks, the price of disel fuel remains high as well. For example, Fred says a truck averaging five miles per gallon, running 3,700 miles per week, at today’s diesel prices, that is costing $3,000 a week, which is hard to finance.
While Cool Runnings charges a two percent fee for advances on loads, Fred points out a lot of truck brokers charge three to five percent.
“The broker has to borrow to finance advance loads. The bank is not loaning you that money for free,” Fred states. “Financing is tight. You either pay the bank, or the broker for the cash advance. It is going to cost you more either way.”
It used to be the average cash advance was around $500 to $700 for the fuel to cover a trip from Idaho to Chicago. The advances are around $1,500.
“You are talking two percent of $1,500 when it used to be two percent of $700. The truckers have to find a way to finance this themselves, while the others who do not figure it out fall by the wayside,” Fred says.
Cool Runnings works with a lot of owner operators and small fleet operations. “The guys who used to have 20 trucks now own eight or 10. If he had 10 trucks, now he only has three or four trucks,” Fred says. “They just don’t care anymore. They’ll say, `I’m tired of fighting the rules and regulations and everything else.'”
One example of excessive government interference, Fred notes, are the CARB (California Air Resources Board) rules in California. The requirements, some of which have to do with reducing emissions, increase the costs of operation and is make it very difficult for truckers to comply, much less continue to operate profitably.
He knows one trucker who delivers freight to Utah and runs to Idaho and to pick up potatoes and French fries for delivery to Chicago. That trucker receives a consistent, steady fair rate. The trucker also does not have to comply with California’s CARB rules.
“Now that those rules are stabilized, just don’t keep changing them,” Fred states.
Cool Runnings History
Although it has been nearly 26 years, it seems almost like yesterday when I first met Fred Plotsky. I was riding in a car with a friend and business associate named Gary Robinson in Highland Park, IL during a week I was working in Chicago. Gary had just sold his truck brokerage, Cool Runnings.
How would you like to meet the new owner of Cool Runnings? He’s really a great guy,” Gary asked me. In a moment, Gary had Fred dialed up on his car phone. I met up with Fred later that day and the rest is history. We have been friends ever since.
Fred and I immediately found a few things in common. We both had an interest in produce trucking for starters. Both of us loved to fish. Fred goes after northern pike, especially on fishing expeditions to Canada, while this southern boy prefers the warmer climates and large mouth (you might find Fred reporting to work at the Cool Runnings offices in Kenosha, WI, wearing shorts in January).
Fred also has love for listening to radio, and only a few months earlier in 1986 I had launched the Produce Truckers Network and had two radio stations airing it — WRVA in Richmond, VA with Big John Trimble and WMAQ in Chicago with Fred Sanders.
Both of us are sports fans with Fred a great follower of the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers. He is forgiving of my support of St. Louis Cardinals.
Over the years I’ve learned to respect Fred as a loving husband, great father, little league baseball coach — and a fair and honest businessman.
It has sort of become a tradition with Fred and I to occasionally have lunch together — usually involving chicken wings and root beer. It was during such a recent visit, Fred shared some thoughts on Cool Runnings, which he has owned since July 1986, as well as what is happening with the trucking industry, and what he views as the major concerns and issues with the professionals driving the big rigs. — By Bill Martin
The strong, but seasonal produce trucking rates off the West Coast sound 
pretty good, until one starts to consider what it takes to get a Westbound freight haul. The hard economic times in the USA has taken its toll on many truckers. Some in trucking report dry freight grossing as little as $2000 from the Mid-west to California.
Bradley Cook drives a truck for Frank’s Transport, a one-truck operation out of North Miami Beach, FL. HaulProduce.com recently caught up with him at a Flying J Truck Stop, after delivering a load of juice. He was hoping to get a load of freight out of Tulsa, OK for the West Coast to pick up a load of produce.
The 35-year-old has been trucking either long haul or locally since 1998, and this is about as tough as he has seen it.
“I’m working this truck like a dog trying to make ends meets,” he says, pointing to the conventional Peterbilt he is driving. The owner operator he is driving for once had three trucks, but now it is down this single tractor.
It is not easy when outbound dry freight is paying only $1.35 to $1.40 per mile, while eastbound produce loads are grossing about $2.25 per mile, “if you are lucky. The people paying for the East bound (produce) want to pay you the Westbound rates,” he says, “although they pay the better rates because they have little choice.”
It also does not help that other produce shipping areas often do not pay that well. He cites per mile rates of out of Florida being $1.25, while Texas loads are averaging about $1.50 per mile. The high cost of number 2 diesel fuel only makes it worse.
“The price of fuel is so high the produce people and everyone else are relying on the freight charges of 20 years to help make up for it (cost of deliveries),” Bradley says.
Adding to the challenges of hauling produce are the delays in loading and unloading the often occur.
“With produce, I often face delays anywhere from one to eight hours. The product may still be in fields, even though I’m at the facility on time to load,” Bradley states. “I am picking up in California and supposed to deliver in Massachusetts. If I am late for delivery (because of loading delays), that Massachusetts receiver will not pay full price for that load upon arrival.”
Another primary “beef” with Bradley is dealing with four wheelers, and particularly those driving cars who cut off big rigs.
If a wheeler cuts me off then hits the brakes, I’m going to hit my brakes, but I can’t stop on a dime. I’ll end up going five truck lengths through that guy’s vehicle,” Bradely states.
In some Western states he notes speed limits on some highways are 80 mph. “You can cut me off, and I’m going to end up killing you (with my truck, which can’t stop),” he says.
Bradley believes as part of obtaining a driver’s license four wheelers should have to ride in big rig for three weeks to get a better understanding of what it is like to operate an 18 wheeler and “experience the centrifical forces of nature.”
Similar problems exist with four wheelers who tail gate big rigs and when the trucker hits the brakes, if the other driver is not paying close enough attention he can end up “going through your DOT approved trailer bumper — and die.”
By the United Fresh Produce Association
The North American Produce Transportation Working Group (NAPTWG) will 
host a webinar on produce transportation best practices on Wednesday, July 18 at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. The session will give an overview of the best practices and delve into the roles and responsibilities of the shipper, carrier and receiver in facilitating a seamless, safe, and sustainable global supply-chain. Speakers include industry veterans with varied perspectives: Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management, United Fresh; Doug Stoiber, vice president, L&M Transportation Services, Inc.; Jim Gordon, operations manager, Ippolito Fruit & Produce LTD.; and Doug Nelson, special services manager, Blue Book Services, Inc. A question and answer period will follow the presentation and the session will be posted on the website as a resource.
“As summer quickly approaches, the webinar will be especially valuable to anyone involved in the movement of perishables and refrigerated cargo via truck,” said Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management for United Fresh. “It’s vital that the entire industry be on the same page when dealing with the movement of fresh fruits and vegetables. We need to ensure the cold chain remains intact and to prevent complications in the distribution and delivery of our fresh and wholesome products.”
Registration is complimentary to all interested parties. Register now!
This is the first in a series of educational webinars the NAPTWG will hold. For more information, please visit the NAPTWG website, or contact Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management, at 425-629-6271.
The North American Produce Transportation Working Group (NAPTWG) is comprised of more than 25 national and regional produce industry associations, transportation service providers, grower/shippers and perishable receivers. In cooperation with United Fresh Produce Association, NAPTWG works to provide best practice resources to those involved in the fresh produce supply chain.
If you haul produce for the supermarket chain Safeway, you may have noticed 
fresh fruits and vegetable being hauled are loaded into your refrigerated trailer using reusable product containers (RPCs). The chain’s press release states it allows more product to be loaded into the trailer. It does not address the question of whether this adds more weight to the load, and if so, whether the truck is paid more for that additional weight (yeah, right!). Regardless RPCs are good for the envirnoment. Here’s the Safeway press release and you can decide for yourself.
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Safeway Inc. announced that it has transitioned to using reusable product containers rather than corrugated boxes to ship many types of produce from the farm fields, through the distribution channel and to final store destination. This transition eliminated the use of over 17 million pounds of corrugated boxes.
RPCs can be stacked higher and more densely than traditional boxes, allowing for more efficient shipping and requiring fewer trips to transport the same amount of product. This, in turn, decreases trucking emissions and traffic volume.
Safeway, which has introduced a broad range of successful sustainability practices across its operations, has used RPCs for decades on many of its consumer brand categories, including bread, milk and soda. The company began testing RPCs in its distribution system for fresh wet-pack produce — fruits and vegetables kept on ice until they reach the store — in early 2010.
Making the transition for produce was a more complicated process than for other products because, to make it effective and decrease cardboard usage, Safeway’s distributors and grower partners also had to commit to the switch. The transition continued throughout 2011.
Today, many types of produce travel from the field to the distributor to Safeway’s product distribution centers and to the final store location in RPCs. The company’s major supplier of RPCs, IFCO Systems, said that Safeway’s implementation of RPC usage to decrease waste was the fastest and most aggressive program rollout to date.
Safeway’s vice president of transportation, Tom Nartker, said that employing environmentally friendly methods of product distribution is part of Safeway’s overall commitment to sustainable business practices.
“This expansion into produce is a natural extension of best practices in logistics,” Mr. Nartker said in a press release. “Safeway will continue to look for opportunities to expand the usage of RPCs into additional categories to have an even greater positive environmental impact.”
The use of reusable, sustainable containers not only keeps non-recyclable shipping containers out of the supply chain, but it also has an even greater positive environmental impact.
According to Safeway, the positive environmental effects include eliminating the use of over 17 million pounds of corrugated boxes, avoiding the harvesting of approximately 114,000 trees and reduced emissions of 37,518 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from the environment, equivalent to removing 6,872 passenger cars off the road.
Refrigerated equipment is in tight supply in a number of areas around the 
country, but it could be much worse. Less than bumper sized crops in several areas is easing some of the pressure for trucks. California’s San Joaquin Valley stone fruit crop is down from a year ago. Central and southern Georgia fruits and vegetables were hit hard by inclement weather during the spring. Watermelons in Texas and some parts of the east coast were also victims of bad weather.
The new apple season will be launched in only a few weeks and crops were decimated in Michigan, Ontario and parts of New York state.
Thus, when folks complain about California rates hitting $6,000 to the Mid-west and $9,000 to the East Coast, with a little more favorable weather conditions in various parts of the USA and Canada, demand for refrigerated equipment could have been worse – resulting in even higher rates on produce hauls. Still, there comes a point when rates reach a certain point, that retail prices for fruits and vegetables rise, and at a certain there is consumer resistance to high the costs.
Whether talking availablity of equipment, volume of fruits and vegetables, as well as the quality of the product — and let’s not forget the availability of professional drivers – many factors can result in the final equasion for supply and demand….If and when this economy ever turns around, produce shipments will be receiving a lot more competition as many drivers will choose to haul other things, which is not as demanding and risky as loads of fresh produce.
Southern Californa citrus and fruit – grossing about $9000 to Boston, sometimes more.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – about $6200 to Chicago.