Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
As more information becomes available on the prospects for the nation’s apple shipments, which 
get underway in August for the 2012-13 shipping season, it’s becoming apparent there should be record setting loading opportunities for apple haulers out of Washington state.
The reasons are two-fold. First, Washington is on course to pick, pack and ship 120 million boxes of apples in the upcoming season, which would be nearly 7 million more boxes than the season which will close in the coming weeks. Secondly, an April freeze clobbered upcoming crops in Michigan, parts of New York state and in Ontario. This means apple buyers who normally source the fruit from these areas will be relying on Washington state more than ever. In a normal year, Washington state accounts for about 60 percent of the USA’s apple shipments.
Apple volume is expected to remain more normal for the upcoming season from the Mid Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virgina, as well as from the New England states. This holds true as well for New York’s Hudson and Champlian valleys. However, central and western New York apple shippers were not near as lucky during the April freeze.
Washington state apples – grossing about $6200 to Orlando.
Produce shipments from New Jerseyhave been occuring in limited volume since 
March, with items ranging from lettuce, leafy greens, herbs, flat parsely, cilantro, spinach, leeks and radishes. As we enter the summer season volume will pick up significantly for other types of vegetables, especially from the southern area of the state.
Green beans are just starting. Other vegetable loadings will get underway in June and July with bell peppers, cucumbers and squash. Sweet corn loadings kick in around the second week of July. Cabbage shipments recently started.
The Garden state also is one of the larger shippers of peaches and blueberries. Blueberries become available the first week of June, while peaches will get underway around the 4th of July.
Most New Jersey produce items are either starting on time, or a week or so early.
Supplies of refrigerated equipment from shipping areas c0ast-to-coast 
continue to tighten as seasonal fresh fruit and vegetable volume rises. The result is buyers of produce are being forced to pay higher freight rates and truckers now have the upper hand in rate negotiations.
Truck supplies are especially short in California, Nogales, South Texas and in Florida.
The truck supply situation will continue, and worsen, after Memorial Day as receivers replenish supplies.
California hasn’t even got cranked up yet with produce shipments, although they are certainly getting there. If you are a produce hauler, let the good times roll.
The week of May 21st there were already a few loads out Southern California, Santa Maria, as well as the Salinas and San Joaquin valleys topping $8000 to places like New York and Boston.
In Arizona, rates for Mexican grapes crossing the border at Nogales, increased the past week by double digits. The most extreme example was a 30-plus percent hike in rates to Dallas.
Speaking of Texas, strong demand for reefer loads out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley continues. There’s a lot of watermelons and other Mexican fruits and veggies coming into the USA.
In Florida, rates have been all over the board — especially for hauling red potatoes. If you hit it right when truck supplies are really short, you could gross $2000 MORE on a load to the Northeast. Most of the state’s watermelon shipments are coming from areas north of Orlando, with shipments now coming from Georgia.
Salinas Valley vegetables- grossing about $8200 to Boston with some loads higher.
Mexican grapes from Nogales – about $3400 to Dallas.
South Texas produce – about $5500 to Boston.
Florida potatoes – anywhere from $3000 to $5000 to New York.
While many Florida veggies, such as pepper and squash shipments are 
seasonally finished, items ranging from potatoes to tomatoes and watermelons are moving in good volume. Heaviest volume out of Florida is now with central area watermelons, which is approaching 2,000 loads per week. There’s moderate volume with tomatoes, followed by potatoes. But in the overall scheme of things, Florida produce volume is in a seasonal decline.
Georgia is entering perhaps its most active time of the year for produce loads. There’s light volume in the Southern part of the state with blueberries, and heavier tonnage coming from mixed vegetables….About 400 truckloads of Vidalia sweet onions are being shipped weekly. In the Ft. Valley area, Georgia peach hauls are limited, resulting in a lot of multi drop loads as the season hasn’t really kicked in yet and shippers are trying to please as many customers as possible.. But come June that will change rapidly and more straight loads of peaches will become available.
South Carolina peach loadings are only a few days behind those in Georgia.
Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2600 to Chicago.
Florida watermelons – about $4200 to New York City.
There are fruits and vegetables being shipping from a number of California 
districts. As strawberry volume declines from Ventura County, there’s good volume from Santa Maria, as the Salinas Valley gears up to get rockin’. The same can be said for Salinas vegetable tonnage, which is building as well. Southern California is shipping citrus, plus there are avocados and tomatoes from shippers located between L.A. and SanDiego. Mexican tomatoes are crossing the California border at Otay Mesa. Coachella Valley grape loadings are on the rise and should be peaking most of June.
CALIFORNIA RATES RATES ARE ON THE RISE. WE’RE APPROACHING THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE PRODUCE INDUSTRY STARTS PAYING FOR ITS SINS OF LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST TRUCK, KICKING OVER LOADS FOR WHICH THEY’VE PAID TOO MUCH FOR PRODUCT AND GENERALLY BEING BAD BOYS TO TRUCKERS.
While Nogales is pretty much finished with vegetables from Mexico, Mexican grapes crossing the Arizona border are hitting full stride.
In Washington state, there’s light volume of potatoes from the Columbia Basin and the nearby Umatilla Basin in Oregon, but onion shipments are about finished….About the only thing that leaves in Washington are Yakima Valley apples and pears.
Washington apples and pears – grossing about $4900 to Cleveland.
Mexican grapes from Nogales – about $4100 to Chicago.
Southern California produce – about $7600 to New York City.
We’re not talking huge volumes of loads involving fresh produce in the 
Midwest, or Central USA, but there are quite a few areas shipping this time of the year. Even a partial load may allow you to get to another destination to fill out the trailer, or deliver and get a full haul.
Texas – There are 350 to 400 truckloads of Mexican avocados crossing the border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley each week. There’s also a significant amount of Mexican watermelons moving into Texas as well. The valley itself continues to ship various vegetables.
New Mexico — It may not be big volume, but onions are being shipped from the Las Cruces area.
Michigan — Light to moderate volumes of apples are available from Western Michigan. In about a month vegetable shipments will get underway.
Wisconsin — Potato loadings continue from the Stevens Point (central Wisconsin) area in moderate volume.
Colorado — The San Luis Valley is averaging around 500 truckloads of potatoes a week.
Nebraska — The Cornhusker state is certainly no Idaho, or even a Colorado or Wisconsin, when it comes to potato shipments. However, there are spuds in limited amounts coming out the Southwestern (Imperial) and Northeastern (O’Neill) parts of the state.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $2000 to Houston.
South Texas produce – about $4600 to New York City.
With over 30 million bushels of apples in the USA remaining in storages to be 
shipped, steady loading opportunties through much of the summer are expected, especially from Washington state. There is one percent more fruit remaining in storages than last year’s large crop, and three percent more tonnage remaining compared to the five-year average.
The Yakima and Wenatchee valleys of Washington state are averaging about 2500 truckload equivalents of apple shipments a week, although this amount includes some shipments by rail….By contrast, Michigan apple loadings are amounting to around 125 truck loads per week….New York state apple shipments are similar, but declining as the season winds down.
Washington apples – grossing about $6200 to Atlanta.
Michigan apples – about $2800 to Oklahoma City.
FREEZE UPDATE — I reported on May 9 a major freeze hitting Ontario and Michigan apple shipping areas, as well as New York and possibly Pennsylvania. This will affect your loading opportunities starting in late July and August and continue for the 2012-13 apple shipping season.
It will be June, if not July in some instances, before it is known how much next season’s apple shipments will be hurt, but it will be substantial. The damage to Ontario’s 16,000 acres of orchards has been termed “catastrophic,” a pretty harsh term for normally optimtistic produce shippers. It also known there is significant damage to apples in Michigan and upstate New York.
In Florida while some vegetable shipments, such as peppers are on the 
decline, items such as potatoes, watermelons and tomatoes are providing better loading opportunities.
Florida is shipping about 500 truckloads of potatoes weekly and product is now coming out of the Hastings/Palatka area…..Watermelons are moving in much heavier volume, over 2,200 truckloads a week, from southern and central Florida. There also is good volume with tomatoes from the southern and central parts of the state.
If you are in Florida and need to fill out the truck, southern Georgia continues to ship greens, squash and other vegetables….Vidalia onions are now moving in good volume….In the Ft. Valley area, peach shipments have started…..Peaches in South Carolina are only a few days behind Georgia and both states should provide good loading opportunities – especially through the month of June.
South Carolina also has light to moderate volume with greens, sweet onions, cabbage, parsley and cilantro. Coming in June will be shipments of corn, tomatoes and peppers.
Looking ahead, North Carolina loading opportunities for watermelons and cantaloupe will be coming the last half of June.
Southern New Jersey continues to ship light amounts of lettuce and asparagus. These items will be winding down with the month of May, but will be replaced in June with vegetables ranging from bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, as well as blueberries and peaches.
Central Florida tomatoes, watermelons – grossing about $4100 to New York City.
Georgia vegetables – about $2700 to Philadlephia.
While Georgia greens, cabbage, squash and Vidalia sweet onions shipments 
have been underway, more items are joining the “party.” Over the last half of May loadings will begin for cucumbers, bell peppers, watermelons and blueberries from southern areas of the state. Volume on “blues” will be lighter than usual at the start due a freeze earlier this year. Most of the vegetable shippers have operations scattered between the Georgia/Florida state line stretching northward up to the Americus and Cordele areas….Vidalia onions, and some other vegetable shipments are in the Southeastern part of Georgia.
Just south of Macon, GA is the Ft. Valley area, famous for its Georgia peaches. Loadings for the stone fruit should get started in a light way within the next week or so, with good volume coming about a week later. About 2.5 million boxes of peaches should be shipped this season, down a little from the bumper loadings of a year ago.
South Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2800 to New York City.
Southeastern Vidalia onions – about $2600 to Chicago.
Looking ahead in Washington state, unless weather changes everything, 
record cherry shipments are being predicted. Coming out the Yakima and Wenachee valleys, cherry shipments kick off the second week of June and will continue into mid July. Meanwhile, if you’re in the region, steady shipments of late season apples and pears continue.
In Nogales, AZ, the U.S. Custom and Border Protection has expanded lanes for trucks importing Mexican produce to eight lanes. Mexican grapes are now crossing the border and an estimated 8 to 9 million cartons are expected to be shipped to points throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Looking down the road a bit, vine ripe tomatoes out of Southeastern Arkansas could start shipping one to two weeks early this year. Light volume is expected by late May, with good volume coming within a week or so. Shipments are expected to continue into mid-July.
Blueberry loads are now available from Southern Georgia, joining other items ranging from greens to squash, cucumbers and peppers. Southern Georgia’s Vidalia onions are now in peak movement to markets, particularly in the eastern half of the country.
In California, grapes and melons are coming out the desert, while Southern California continues to ship berries, avocados, citrus and some veggies. Look for building volume on vegetables from the Salinas Valley….May should be an interest month as we monitor building produce volume, availablilty of refrigerated equipment, and its effect on freight rates…..As always, truckers’ abilities to find westbound freight to pick up fruits and vegetables in California and the Northwest will be a challenge.