Posts Tagged “Hauling produce”
Allen Loggins has been an owner operator all but three years since he began trucking in 1996. Some might consider him old school, whether we’re talking about the 25-year-old Pete he drives, or his refusal to haul cheap freight. Then there is the matter of him keeping his down time to a minium waiting for loads.
We’ll start with the latter.
A resident of Jackson, GA, Allen says he used to run Florida a lot over a 25-year period. That has changed.
“There is a lot of sitting and waiting in Florida. I used to haul a lot of stuff (freight) into Florida ports. But there is simply too much waiting,” he relates. This also applies to hauling Florida produce, especially during the off season.
Instead, Allen now prefers Texas over Florida. He hauls mostly fresh produce out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Often his destination is the Atlanta State Farmers Market. Sometimes he’ll deliver the fruits and vegetables elsewhere in Georiga or the Carolinas. The return trip to Texas typically involves meat that will be exported to Mexico. It typically is something like processed chicken or balonga he picks up in Selma, AL.
“I like hauling produce,” Allen states. “Some people think you are nuts. But if you haul out of Florida, you are nuts. I would sit there all day then they want you in Atlanta in no time. Florida wears you out hauling produce. Texas is much easier.
The 51-year-old trucker says there are occasions he’ll be stuck a day or two in McAllen, TX waiting for the product from Mexico to cross the border, but that is rather unusual.
Allen owns and operates Southern States Produce, which consists of his 1989 Peterbilt conventional, housing a 425 hp Model B Cat diesel. The truck has a 15-speed tranny and 3:90 rears. He pulls a 53-foot Great Dane trailer cooled by a Thermo King refeer unit.
Allen knows the old Pete well. He drove the truck for the owner until that person retired. A few months ago Allen purchased the truck and once again became an owner operartor.
“I don’t like these new trucks. They have too many electronics and sensors. They are too expensive to repair,” he states.
When it comes to produce hauling, Allen has a few basic principals to follow. He makes sure the product is hauled within in the proper temperature range. He also avoids mixing perishable items that are not compatable. Finally, he checks his reefer unit every couple of hours or so making sure it is doing its job.
Allen had recently delivered a load of Mexican green house grown roma tomatoes to the Del Monte facility in Altanta that he had picked up in South Texas. He then loaded meat products in Alabama for delivery back to Texas. From there he picked up a load of Mexican avocados, again in South Texas, where were delivered to the Atlanta State Farmers Market.
He just had his rig washed at the nearby Patriot Truck Stop, before taking four days off until hitting the road again. Allen typically has the truck washed a couple of times a month, citing the need of making a good impression with the shippers and recievers.
“I don’t want to pull up to the dock with a dirty assed truck. If you don’t have a nice looking truck, they might think you don’t take care about their load,” Allen observes.
Finally, as an owner operator, Allen says he has to gross between $2 and $3 per mile. This way he makes enough to put some cash away for repairs and maintenance.
It make sound old school, but it seems to work for this owner operator.
Why was haulproduce.com created? Simply put, there is a need. That need is good, accurate, reliable and timely information. This knowledge can be used 
by those who are transportating fresh fruits and vegetable to improve their bottom line, making business operations more profitable.
From pre-cooling melons, to proper loading procedures, maintaining refrigeration temperatures and humidity levels, to timely deliveries of perishable items, hauling produce is a different ballgame.
The harvesting and shipping of fresh produce items in a particular area can range from three to four weeks from year to year, depending on the weather. Likewise, the start and completion of shipments of those same items can vary each year.
Additionally, volume from this same district area can change greatly from one year to the next. Then there is always the concern over quality of the product. It is important that the party to whom you are delivering has no surprises relating to quality, size, color, and taste of the product.
Having this information at your finger tips reduces your chances of having the load rejected, or facing a deduction in your freight rate.
It is important to know where loads will be available from season to season. Loadings of lettuce, for example, come from different shipping areas, depending upon the time of the year. Shifts from one shipping area to another may have gaps in some instances, but may overlap in others. These shipping areas also may vary significant in volume from year to year and even during the season itself.
In addition to all these factors, rates for hauling produce can fluctuate greatly, even from the same area to the same destination depending upon everything from truck availability to produce volume and the perishable nature of the product.
In essence, to be a good produce trucker, it requires being a cut above most of types of other haulers. And being among the best, depends on knowing the business and using the information available. Thus, haulproduce.com is here to help.
HaulProduce.com has a purpose of providing helpful and insightful information first of all to the professionals who haul nearly 100 percent of the nation’s fresh fruits and vegetables to destinations all over the United States, Canada, and now Mexico. There are health related features here as well since truckers are more often becoming health conscious and realize the benefits of eating fresh produce. There also is information on “In-Transit Issues” to help deliver a better product and hopefully reduce the chances of a claim or rejected load. Other issues covered range from trucking equipment to occasional political issues.
Yet, the heart of HaulProduce.com is the produce trucking reports providing information ranging from when shipping areas become active, to when these areas may have shipping gaps, to information relating to volume and quality of produce available for hauling. When produce rates are listed they are based upon being straight loads in 48-foot refrigerated trailers. Rates can also vary on a day-to-day, if not hourly basis, thus quoted rates are to give you a general idea of what is being paid. You should add more to your freight rate when there are multiple pickups and drops, brokerage fees, gate fees, unloading charges and possible other expenses that affect your bottom line…
As HaulProduce.com grows and evolves, look for new features on this site. Wishing you safe travels and profitable hauls. — Bill Martin