Produce loads dispatch that follows the harvest, not the board
Load offer · 53 ft reefer
Salinas, CA Phoenix, AZ
- RATE
- $2,150
- MILES
- 668+24
- ALL-IN RPM
- $3.11
- Freight: Leafy greens, setpoint per BOL, 41,000 lb
- Pickup: Wed 05:00 · Deliver: Thu 06:00 appt
- Setpoint on BOL
- Detention $50/hr after 2 hrs
Produce season dispatch
Where the leafy greens are, month by month
Pick a month to see which of the two big leafy-green regions is shipping. Yuma, Arizona produces over 90% of the winter leafy greens and vegetables consumed in the US, with peak production November through March. Leafy green volume shifts from Yuma back to Salinas, California in spring and runs there through the warmer months. Those two regions alone move a large share of the country's salad freight between them, and the hand-off each spring and fall is when a reefer that's in the right place does well.
- Yuma, AZ area: Winter leafy greens and vegetables. (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, az1615 (reviewed March 2020))
Shows the two leafy-green regions we have sourced season data for. Other crops and regions ship on their own calendars; the weekly USDA report lists current shipping areas and rates.
Source: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, az1615 (reviewed March 2020), October 2026
Leafy greens are one calendar among many. Citrus, berries, melons, onions, potatoes and tree fruit each ship from their own regions on their own schedules. USDA's weekly Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report lists average per-load rates for 48-53 ft refrigerated trailers from major shipping areas to ten destination cities, plus truck availability, which is the best free way to see where produce is moving this week.
Source: USDA AMS Market News, SC National Truck Rate Report (FVWTRK), October 2026
Seasons by region
How we plan a produce season around your truck
Following the harvest doesn't mean living on the road. It means being a week ahead of where the freight is going, and planning the route there and back.
A week ahead
We watch which regions are ramping up and down, and start positioning you before rates peak, not after.Loops that come home
A run into a producing region, a few loads there, and a planned load back toward home, inside your home-time rules.Dry freight in between
When produce slows on your lanes, reefers can haul dry freight. We fill the gaps instead of letting the truck sit.
If you'd rather not chase seasons at all, that's a choice too. We can keep you on regional grocery, dairy and frozen freight near home and only bring produce loads that fit your lanes. Tell us on the first call which way you want to run, and change it any season.
Beyond leafy greens
Produce freight comes in many shapes
Lettuce gets the headlines, but produce freight covers dozens of crops, each with its own handling. Some want cold, some are damaged by cold, and some ship from storage for months after harvest.
Chilling-sensitive crops
Bananas and tomatoes are damaged below about 55°F in transit, so they ride warmer than most produce. Too cold is as bad as too warm.Storage crops
Potatoes, onions and apples ship long after harvest from storage, which spreads their loads across much of the year.Imports at the border
Produce crossing from Mexico moves through border crossings, adding inspection time and paperwork to the pickup.
Know the market
Reading USDA's weekly truck rate report
The free USDA report is one of the most useful tools a produce hauler can have. Each week it shows average per-load rates from major shipping areas to ten big receiving cities, plus whether trucks are short, adequate or surplus in each area.
Rates by lane
See what a load from a shipping area to a major city paid last week, as a range per load.
Truck availability
Short means shippers are hunting for trucks and rates tend to rise; surplus means the opposite.
Diesel prices
Regional diesel averages, useful for checking whether a rate covers fuel.
We read it every week alongside our own load data, so the rates you see on offers make sense against the market. Our guide to the USDA produce truck rate report walks through it column by column.
At the shed
What happens at a produce shed, and how to get paid for it
Produce sheds are where reefer days disappear. Product has to be harvested, cooled and palletized, and in peak season every truck in the area is waiting for the same dock.
Pulp checks before you load
Probe the product and note the readings on the bill of lading. Warm product loaded is a claim you inherit.Detention and layover
Long shed waits should pay. Terms go on the rate con before you accept, and we log your times.Paperwork that matches
Setpoint, mode, product and quantity on the bill of lading match the load details, or you don't roll.Precooled trailer, continuous mode
A precooled trailer and continuous mode for fresh produce, as published guidance recommends.
Continuous run mode for fresh produce, chilled meat and other temperature-sensitive cargo; start-stop mode should not be used for fresh produce. Read the temperature excursion checklist before your first produce run of the season.
Before you accept
The produce load check
Tap through the checks we run on a produce load's details before it reaches you.
Produce load check
1/5 CHECKED
The product, the setpoint written on the bill of lading and the mode. Chilling-sensitive crops like bananas and tomatoes must not run too cold.
Which shed, its usual wait in season, and whether the load is ready or still being harvested.
Free time and the rate after it, on the rate con before you accept.
Receiver hours and appointment, checked against the drive time and hours of service.
Many produce receivers use lumpers. Who pays and how you get reimbursed, confirmed up front.
Rejections
How to avoid produce rejections
Produce rejections usually come down to temperature, condition or paperwork. The records you keep at pickup decide most of them. Note pulp temperatures and condition on the bill of lading, photograph the load before the doors close, keep the setpoint and mode exactly as written, and pull the unit's download if a receiver questions the temperature. The carrier owns the cargo claim; we help you gather and send the records fast.
Our study of reefer load rejections covers the common causes, and the temperature guide by commodity lists published transit temperatures.
Reefer box trucks
Local produce on a 26 ft reefer box
Not all produce runs cross-country. Regional distributors move fresh product to restaurants, grocers and markets on 26 ft reefer box trucks, often with several stops a day. These routes reward tight appointment planning and short door-open times. We price every stop and check the temperature requirement before a route reaches you. 26 ft reefer boxes pay 7%; see 26 ft box truck dispatch.
Avoid these
Where produce haulers lose money
Arriving after the peak
Chasing a region once rates are already high often means arriving as it winds down. Position a week early.Shed waits with no detention terms
Peak-season shed waits can run long. Without terms on the rate con, the wait is unpaid.Skipping the pulp check
If you don't record product temperature at pickup, a warm load becomes your problem at delivery.Lost lumper receipts
Produce receivers often use lumpers. No receipt, no reimbursement.
Your call, every load
How a produce load reaches you, and what it costs
Every produce load comes to you with the commodity, setpoint, mode, shed, pickup window, appointment, detention and lumper terms, and pay. You say yes or no, and on a yes the broker emails the rate confirmation to you. The fee is 5% of gross for one reefer with authority older than 6 months, 7% for new authorities and 26 ft reefer boxes, and 4% for fleets.
Plan with the produce season calendar and the produce season finder, read the USDA truck rate report explained, or see reefer dispatch.
Produce season dispatch: straight answers
Q01When is produce season for truckers?
Q02Do produce loads pay more?
Q03How long do produce sheds make you wait?
Q04How do you avoid produce rejections?
Be in the right region the week it ships.
Apply in about 2 minutes. Every load is your call.