Archive For The “News” Category
By Derek Robinson, ALC Savannah
As August is moving along, kids are back to school, summer is passing by, and fall is quickly approaching, the time is near. Pumpkin season. Here in Georgia, that harvest calendar runs from September 15th through November 15th , only a short five weeks!
Pumpkins are a part of the gourd family, which includes watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, zucchini, and honeydew. Northern Georgia has the lion’s share of acreage, over 600, of the pumpkin crop, though southern farmers are picking up the pace to join their neighbors to the north. Illinois does hold the
record as the pumpkin king, in 2020 they increased the area used to grow pumpkins to 15,900 acres, producing over twice as many as their next closest competitor!
In the next few weeks, drivers will begin positioning down to the southeast, pack their bags, finish pre-trips and start their engines. It has been a hot summer in the South, and many of us are hoping for a cooler fall and smoother roads to travel. Depending on the size of the crop, the harvest will move up
from Georgia and head north and the drivers and workers will follow.
Allen Lund Company has been hauling pumpkins out of Georgia for decades now, working with many of the same drivers’ year in and out. We have built some close relationships, knowing about their trucks,
where they came from, their family, and what their plans are for Halloween. Family is important to us here at Allen Lund. This fall take a day, carve a pumpkin, spend some time laughing and smiling with your loved ones and make sure to thank the farmers who grew it and the drivers who moved it for you!
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Derek Robinson is a business development specialist in the Savannah office and has been with the Allen Lund Company since 2015. Robinson attended Savannah Technical College, specializing in Aviation Structural Mechanics.
ATHENS, GA – Carrier Transicold has rolled out new capabilities for its digital platform, now rebranded as Lynx® Fleet, giving North American refrigerated trucking operations more comprehensive monitoring capabilities for their refrigerated trucks and trailers.
The new Lynx Fleet offering enhances the prior web-based application with an at-a-glance view of refrigerated truck and trailer performance parameters. These visual indicators help fleet managers easily monitor transport refrigeration equipment utilization, improve operational efficiencies and maximize uptime by spotting and averting potential equipment issues.
Formerly called eSolutionsTM , Lynx Fleet for North America’s refrigerated trucks and trailers is part of Carrier’s award-winning Lynx global ecosystem, which applies advanced internet of things (IoT) analytics, machine learning and various big data technologies to connect the cold chain in the cloud, automate key processes and deliver real-time visibility and insights throughout the cargo’s journey.
“Lynx Fleet continues to open up broad possibilities for value-added capabilities,” said David Brondum, Director of Telematics, Truck Trailer Americas, Carrier Transicold. “Our exclusive dashboard is a terrific example. From temperatures maintained in cargo areas to refrigeration equipment performance, Lynx Fleet monitors and collects scores of inputs from every asset – thousands of data-points fleetwide. It then distills, analyzes and consolidates much of this mission-critical data into different insights so fleet managers can quickly spot assets that may require special attention.”
Prioritized based on customer input, the initial rollout provides key insights: • Low Fuel Level – Provides visibility to refrigeration units that require fuel, helping to avoid emergency call outs for refueling and engine priming. • Low Battery Voltage – Identifies the number of units in service that may have battery issues, which could result in an emergency call out if not addressed soon. • Active Shutdown Alarm – Alerts to critical alarm conditions that will cause a refrigeration unit to shut down, helping fleets to prevent load loss. • Door Metrics – Assists fleet in understanding the number of times cargo doors are opened over a period of time to help manage fuel costs and temperaturecontrol issues. • Asset Run Hours – Helps fleets balance asset usage and manage maintenance based on engine run hours and other factors.
“Each insight displays summary information for the entire customer fleet that can be drilled down to isolate and display details about specific units, as needed,” Brondum explained. “Over time, fleets will be able to customize their dashboards to display whichever pieces of information are most essential to their operations.”
Hardware used with the Lynx Fleet platform is factory installed on Carrier Transicold X4™ series and Vector™ 8000 series trailer and rail refrigeration units. Dealer commissioning and data plan are required. The Lynx Fleet “monitor and enhanced control” data plan includes the diagnostic dashboard and insights, along with premium capabilities for data downloads, remote software updates and more.
Lynx Fleet data can be easily shared with most major transportation management systems (TMS). For fleets with custom data platforms, Carrier Transicold offers growing API (application programming interface) capabilities that facilitate the integration and display of data collected by Lynx Fleet.
For additional details about Lynx Fleet turn to the experts in Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network.
Carrier Transicold Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, directdrive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation.
Walmart, like other mass and grocery retailers, is always working to make the supply chain process run smoother, and with its fresh produce freight, time is of the essence.
To make transportation more efficient and hassle-free, the Bentonville, Ark., mass retailer has partnered with Platform Science to implement two technology tools for a better driver experience and to provide real-time visibility to the everyday operations of more than 12,000 drivers, according to a news release.
Platform Science is a telematics infrastructure and transportation technology company that is outfitting every Walmart Private Fleet cab with an intuitive, interactive tablet device that fully integrates with NTransit, a driver workflow application developed by Walmart’s product and technology teams.
This customized onboard computer system provides private fleet drivers with an improved, high-tech driving experience, provides the business with real-time visibility and provides shoppers with what they want, where they want it and when they want it, the release said.
This innovation will provide drivers:
- Better visibility: Walmart staff will know where the assets are within the fleet to ensure freight arrives on time and in the correct location. Stores can anticipate load arrival times and effectively plan the days and labor around truck deliveries. Shoppes will see shelves stocked in-store and more accurate inventory of products available online.
- Enhanced communication: Walmart’s onboard technology helps drivers communicate more closely with stores by integrating with store applications, providing a more seamless delivery process. As the driver approaches a store, the geolocation feature detects the driver’s location, sending push notifications to store the associate’s handheld device, allowing them to plan for a quick unload and turnaround. Walmart can also deploy secure audio messages directly with drivers to ensure they receive important information while they are on the road.
- Productivity and retention: By removing manual touch points, Walmart’s goal is to create a frictionless workflow so drivers can spend more time driving the truck and less time waiting at fulfillment centers or store deliveries. Platform Science and NTransit integrate seamlessly to coordinate scheduling and navigation, so drivers can hit the road to their next destination without keying it in. Like any job, unplanned activities sometimes require the driver to do more than steer the truck. This new system creates accountability by allowing drivers to communicate what they accomplished on the road. That way, they are compensated for any miles and non-driving activities beyond what was initially planned.
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Initial feedback has revealed the Platform Science and Walmart collaboration has increased driver satisfaction, according to the release. The retailer will continue improving and evolving the onboard systems based on that feedback, from both drivers and store associates.
By Brandon Huebler, Transportation Intern, ALC Cleveland
One of the current, major transportation issues is rising fuel prices, surging from the lack of Russian oil and high inflation. The average price per gallon for diesel has almost doubled, in the past year from $3.24 to $5.77, leaving the transportation industry scrambling. There is plenty of uncertainty within the industry regarding where prices will go. How much will the rising prices actually affect freight rates? More drivers have been asking for fuel advances here in the Cleveland office. So, it would seem that the diesel rates could be affecting the freight rates in many cases.
This rise in fuel prices hurts every industry though, not just the transportation industry. One example of an industry that is being indirectly affected by rising fuel prices and high inflation is the food retail industry. Studies show that grocery store food prices have increased 8.8 percent from the same period last year.
In looking at the USDA site regarding food prices, they cited the following specific increases – fresh fruit prices between 8.5 and 9.5 percent, cereal and bakery product prices between 7.0 and 8.0 percent, nonalcoholic beverage prices between 7.0 and 8.0 percent, and other food prices between 7.5 and 8.5 percent. In a move made by the current administration, a federal tax holiday will remove the 24-cent tax on diesel fuel.
What effect this will have on overall transportation costs is yet to be seen. The reality is that when the cost of moving freight increases, the cost of the items that are being moved will become more expensive.
Avocado prices have fallen sharply over the past month due to an oversupply of Peruvian avocado. The decline is spurred by fears of recession impacting the consumption of relatively expensive food products, according to agriculture commodities data group Tridge.
Tridge data reveals wholesale prices of avocado in Mexico dropped by 47% month-on-month, and avocado prices in the U.S. also fell by 27% month-on-month.
Colombian avocado prices also fell by 39% month-on-month.
“The price downturn is due mainly to oversupply,” Tridge reported.
“Peru has been increasing avocado export by 25% every year for almost five years, and this year, its export volume has increased by 30%.”
There is an “avocado disaster” in Europe because of oversupplies, and U.S. and Asian markets are starting to exhibit similar market reactions.
Additionally, some avocado market participants observe consumption of avocados is falling because people are buying fewer avocados while high inflation and recession affect household income. In some countries, avocados are sold lower than the farmgate price, Tridge reported.
DINUBA, Calif. – Something new is happening in the world of cantaloupe! According to the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board, which represents all growers of cantaloupe in California, cantaloupe growers around the world are increasingly planting newer varieties that have longer shelf life, which helps to reduce food waste.
California cantaloupe farmers are no exception. This summer nearly all of the state’s cantaloupes – which are harvesting now – will be newer, longer shelf-life varieties. And this means your old method for selecting a good one has changed.
“California cantaloupe growers want people to know these new varieties offer consumers that same great cantaloupe taste they love, along with some extra benefits,” said Garrett Patricio, of Westside Produce, a California melon supplier. “But with these new varieties comes some new rules to follow when selecting a ripe cantaloupe at your grocery store.”
Selecting the perfect cantaloupe has often been considered challenging for many people. But, according to Patricio, new cantaloupe varieties make that process easier in many ways.
“Plant breeders are constantly working to improve cantaloupe varieties to give you the best eating experience possible,” says Patricio. “These new varieties are bred to be sweeter and to have firmer flesh, which means they last longer on store shelves and in people’s refrigerators. This means they can help people stretch their food dollars and less food ends up in the trash.”
Patricio also explains that under a program known as the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board, farmers are required to test their melons for sugar content before they harvest. The sugar requirement is enforced by the California Department of Food and Agriculture for all cantaloupes produced in the state.
“We do this by testing for brix, which is a measurement of sugar content,” explains Patricio. “California cantaloupes must have at least 12 brix when they are harvested. However, many new cantaloupes are actually harvested at close to 14 or 15 brix. Meaning you can expect a very sweet eating experience and shoppers can have confidence when it comes to picking out the perfect cantaloupe in stores.”
The California Cantaloupe Advisory Board also offers some updated tricks and tips for selecting the perfect cantaloupe.
How to Pick a New Variety Cantaloupe
- A Little Green is OK
While a cream color is always a good indicator of a mature melon, new varieties may often have a somewhat green hue. Don’t be deterred by a slightly green cast on new variety of cantaloupes.
2. Cracking Isn’t Always a Bad Thing
If the ‘blossom end’ (the end opposite the stem) is beginning to show a bit of cracking, this can be a good indicator of ripeness, so don’t worry that the cracking is a defect. Another sign of ripeness, this blossom end will be somewhat soft to the touch, meaning it gives slightly when pressed gently with the fingers.
3. Stem or No Stem – Either is Fine
The stem end of newer cantaloupe varieties may be smooth, but it’s just as likely to have a bit of stem left on the melon. A good sign of a mature melon is that some netting is growing up the stem. Netting is the raised net-like texture on the shell of the cantaloupe.
4. The Nose Doesn’t Always Know
Newer cantaloupe varieties don’t emit a natural gas called ethylene, which enhances ripening. This is one reason they last longer, but it also means they don’t give off the same traditional, sweet melon smell, even though they typically have higher sugar content than the old varieties.
Note: Please note that today’s new cantaloupe varieties are NOT produced using genetically modified breeding techniques but are done using traditional cross pollination methods for varietal development.
By Robert Johnson ALC Richmond
Anyone who has worked in this industry has heard these words before: “I’ve been here three hours burning fuel, do you know when they’ll load/unload me?”
It’s never easy to talk a driver into being patient after telling them their load is ready, or the receiver has a dock door waiting. Delays at shipping or receiving run out the working clock on a driver’s ELD, burn diesel fuel unnecessarily on power units, and reefer units as well, should they be loading refrigerated items. With the push in the past few years for sustainability, keeping emissions low, and the ever-present argument for global warming, this topic has become a cornerstone of manufacturing operations across the globe.
“How do we do better with our sustainability?” Personally, I’ve seen more questions about sustainability and similar action plans when receiving RFI’s for manufacturer’s freight bids than I ever have before. With normal power units burning up to one gallon/hour while idling, and reefer units burning on average one gallon/hour while running – it can be costly to sit. With the national average for diesel at $5.71 (as of this writing), carriers’ fuel bills have the potential to impact their overall operating costs, in a large way. Additionally, carriers who haul refrigerated and perishable freight must run their reefer units on the ‘continuous’ mode, as opposed to ‘cycle’ or ‘stop-start’ mode, and will incur even greater fuel costs. Those micro situations turn into macro costs, and environmental impact, when we look at the bigger picture five or ten years down the road. On the flip side, greater fuel costs sure beat the alternative of an expensive temperature rejection and subsequent claim from trying to save a buck or two by running a reefer on ‘stop-start’ mode.”
One suggestion, per the DOE, states depots, shippers, and receivers alike can install external power plug-ins for reefer units, and a temp-controlled waiting area for drivers if wait times are unavoidable, to aid in truck and trailer emissions savings.
Per Statista, “The United States is by far the largest producer of transportation emissions worldwide”, with medium and heavy trucks accounting for 22% of CO2 emissions produced nationwide.
In 2021, Freightwaves reported, “Transportation was responsible for about 26% of Co2 emissions globally, and 28% of emissions nationwide” (EPA).
The question is – how much of this could be combated with a combination of lower dwell times at shippers and receivers alike, and the ability to plug into an electrical source to idle when necessary? And, if the impact study is as positive as we believe it would be, how do we begin to streamline communication between so many moving parts within the supply chain?
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Robert Johnson has been with the Allen Lund Company since October of 2016 and is currently a Business Development Specialist in the Richmond office. Johnson attended Longwood University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. Robert is currently participating in an in-house management training program with ALC.
The value of U.S. imports of fruit soared ahead by 17% in the year ending April compared with the same period a year ago, according to new trade data from the USDA.
The agency reports U.S. imports of fresh/frozen fruit for the period from May 2021 through April 2022 totaled $18.72 billion, up 17% compared with imports of $16.03 billion in the same period a year ago and 24% higher than $15.08 billion two years ago.
By commodity, U.S. imports of fresh fruit from May 2021 to April 2022, with a percent change from a year ago:
- Berries (excluding strawberries): $4.05 billion, up 19%
- Avocados: $3.32 billion, up 35%
- Bananas/plantains: $2.45 billion, up 1%
- Grapes: $2.04 billion, up 16%
- Citrus: $1.84 billion, up 25%
- Strawberries: $1.4 billion, up 8%
- Pineapples: $803 million, 12%
- Mangoes: $734.9 million, up 7%
- Melons: $676.6 million, up 10%
- Kiwifruit: $214.5 million, up 28%
- Apples: 168.65 million, up 5%
- Pears: $111.8 million, up 9%
- Peaches: $65.8 million, no change
- Plums: $41.5 million, up 2%
By Timothy Lanctot ALC Rochester
Vegetable and fruit markets, as well as many other areas of the food industry, have had to tackle a wide range of stressors and supply chain complications over these past two years. Weather-related factors, such as drought, flooding, colder than normal spring temps to name a few, have played a part in low crop production here in the Northeast.
Then of course with the pandemic, labor forces have had to deal with smaller than normal crews / staffs. The cost to the consumer has continued to increase to offset these factors, U.S. consumers paid increased prices for fresh / frozen vegetables and fruits from November 2019 to November 2021. Roughly an increase of 3.5% for frozen vegetables / fruits and approximately a 5.7% increase for fresh vegetables / fruits.
Over that same time period, you can start to see patterns for eating food at home as opposed to eating food away from home or a restaurant. Prices for food items eaten at home has increased by 10.4% overall and prices for food eaten out has increased 9.8%. These price patterns suggest that prices for vegetable and fruits here in the Northeast, have been less unstable, relative to other food sectors.
The Northeast is an economically important region for the production, and certainly the consumption, of many vegetable and fruit products, both fresh and processed. In the nine states that comprise the Northeast region, vegetable crops alone have generated an annual total farm value of approximately $800 million in recent years.
In 2022, as well as for the foreseeable future there are three major factors that will continue to shape the vegetable / fruit industry in the Northeastern United States.
First, at the farm level, the constant supply of productive and qualified labor continues to be the number one issue for all growers. Especially with fresh vegetable / fruit production, labor is the greatest factor in production costs. Of course, ongoing improvements in technology and the substitution of automated, robotic and intelligent machines for workers will continue to occur at the farm level. This change could lead to long run price reductions in production costs and improvements in crop quality.
Second, the consolidation of distribution and related businesses in the middle of the supply chain. There is widespread speculation that we will see additional structural change leading to greater industry concentration. This is part of a trend, but it has also been fueled by COVID-19, which has led to a reduction in the number of produce buyers and increased consolidation among major food retailers given their capacity to adapt to an evolving marketplace, including the expansion into online sales.
Farms in the Northeast will continue to have access to fewer and fewer buyers as more and more mergers and acquisitions occur. This will put added pressure on wholesale and farm-level prices. While at the same time, fewer buyers and increased consolidation among food retailers will increase market power for these food distributors when dealing with consumers. As a result, we could see higher prices for vegetables / fruits in supermarkets, throughout the “fresh” season.
Third, trends in the consumption of vegetables and fruit in the Northeast will be driven largely by income. Recessions and / or pandemics have the capacity to decrease nutritional intake and consumers would resort to more calorie-dense “comfort” foods. Although, some households during COVID-19 have shown to increase the time spent planning and preparing meals at home, there is evidence that this has led to an increase in overall dietary quality and a high vegetable and fruit consumption.
A large share of vegetables (approximately 40%) are typically consumed away from home in the foodservice sector, and any rebound of the foodservice industry is expected to increase overall vegetable consumption. As sited in the 2022 Northeast Vegetable Crop Outlook publication, “Frozen vegetable sales in the food retail market increased dramatically in 2020 and some of that increase was sustained in 2021; this suggests that COVID-19 allowed some consumers to rediscover frozen vegetables and that this category may end up having long run benefits from the pandemic.”
During the pandemic, many consumers became less interested in certain credence attributes (such as how or where the food was grown). It is expected that we will see a resurgence in demand for local and / or organic fresh produce, and this presents a real opportunity for Northeastern producers that are able to supply these markets.
In recent months fresh fruit imports are running higher than expected, and the USDA has upped its import forecast for fiscal year 2022 to reflect higher unit values.
The USDA reported in its May 26 trade forecast U.S. agricultural imports from October 2021 through September 2022 (fiscal year 2022) are expected to increase to a record $180.5 billion, up $8 billion from the February forecast.
The USDA’s May forecast said import values are up more than 20% for the first half of fiscal year 2022 compared the previous year.
The updated fiscal year 2022 forecast for horticultural product imports is $92.2 billion, $3.2 billion above the previous forecast in February.
Fresh and processed fruit imports are expected to rise by $1.2 billion and $1 billion, respectively, as import quantities of these products continue their long-running upward trend and unit values continue to increase, the USDA said.
The May forecast calls for U.S. fresh fruit imports at $17.5 billion, up 7.3% from the February forecast of $16.3 billion and 13% higher than $15.5 billion in fresh imports in fiscal year 2021.
The USDA reported import values of fresh produce commodities for the 12-month period from April 2021 to March 22, with percent change from a year ago:
- Berries (excluding strawberries): $4 billion, up 21%;
- Avocados: $3.22 billion, up 33%;
- Bananas/plantains: $2.46 billion, up 1%;
- Grapes: $1.96 billion, up 14%;
- Citrus: $1.79 billion, up 26%;
- Strawberries: $1.44 billion, up 13%;
- Pineapples: $801.6 million, up 15%;
- Mangoes: $748.5 million, up 15%;
- Melons: $673.8 million, up 17%;
- Kiwifruit: $207.9 million, up 21%;
- Pears: $108.6 million, up 6%;
- Peaches: $64.6 million, down 2%;
- Plums: $27.01 million, down 39%.