Produce season is the stretch of spring and summer when fruit and vegetable harvests ship in large volumes, and it tends to push freight rates up because more loads need refrigerated trucks. Harvests start in warmer southern areas and move north as the weather warms, so the busiest areas, and the strongest rates, shift through the season.
For a dispatcher, produce season is a time to plan ahead. Here is how the seasonal pattern works, why it affects rates, and how to help your carriers make the most of it without taking on avoidable risk.
Key takeaways
- Produce season generally runs through spring and summer, with harvests moving from south to north.
- Demand for reefer trucks rises in active growing regions, which tends to push rates up there.
- The effect spreads beyond reefer, because reefers that haul produce are no longer hauling dry freight.
- Produce loads need careful temperature control, clear paperwork and patience at the shipper.
- Rates change with weather, crops and the wider market, so no season is the same as the last one.
What is produce season in trucking?
Produce season is the part of the year when fresh fruit and vegetables are harvested and shipped in large amounts. Most of that freight moves in refrigerated trailers, called reefers, because it has to stay cool from the field to the store.
The timing is not one fixed date. It depends on the crop, the region and the weather that year. But the general pattern repeats every year, and dispatchers who understand it can plan where their trucks should be.
How does the produce season move across the country?
Harvests generally start in the warmest growing areas and move north as spring turns to summer. Here is the general pattern. Exact timing changes by crop and by year.
| Time of year | What generally happens | What dispatchers notice |
|---|---|---|
| Late winter to early spring | Harvests are active in warmer southern regions, such as Florida, south Texas, Arizona and parts of California, plus imports crossing from Mexico | Reefer demand starts to build in those areas |
| Spring | Harvests pick up across the South and West, and more crops come in | Reefer capacity gets tighter in growing regions |
| Summer | Harvests move north into the Midwest, the Northeast and the Northwest | Busy areas shift, so the best outbound loads move too |
| Fall | Late crops finish, and volumes start to fall in many regions | Reefer demand eases in most growing areas |
This is a general pattern, not a calendar. Check current market conditions and talk to brokers who work produce lanes to see what is moving now.
Why do freight rates move during produce season?
Rates move because the number of loads changes faster than the number of trucks. When a region starts shipping a big harvest, it suddenly needs many more reefers than are nearby. Shippers and brokers compete for those trucks, which tends to push rates up for loads leaving that area.
A few other effects follow from that:
- Reefers leave the dry freight market. Some reefer carriers haul dry freight in quieter months. When they switch to produce, there are fewer trucks for dry van loads, which can tighten that market too.
- Trucks get pulled toward growing regions. Carriers reposition to where the produce is, which can leave other areas with fewer trucks.
- Inbound and outbound are uneven. Loads leaving a produce region can be strong, while loads going into it may not be, because many trucks want to get there.
- Weather changes everything. A freeze, a drought or a storm can delay a harvest or cut it short, and rates follow.
Produce season is one of several seasonal swings in freight. Our guide on navigating bad market conditions covers what to do when the market turns the other way.
How should a dispatcher prepare for produce season?
Start planning weeks ahead, and talk to your carriers about what they want from the season.
- Check the equipment. Make sure the reefer unit is serviced and the trailer is clean, because produce shippers may reject dirty or faulty trailers.
- Talk to the carrier. Ask whether they want to chase produce, how far from home they will go, and how long they can stay out.
- Plan the position. Think about where the truck should be when a region gets busy, and how it will get back out after.
- Build broker relationships. Brokers who move produce every year need reliable trucks. Being reliable early can lead to repeat loads.
- Know the paperwork. Temperature, mode (continuous or cycle), pulp temperature checks and any special instructions should all be on the rate con.
- Expect waiting. Produce shippers can have long load times. Agree detention terms in writing before the truck arrives.
Our beginner’s guide to reefer dispatching explains reefer settings and paperwork in more detail.
A worked example
This scenario is an example only.
It is early spring. Your carrier runs one reefer and usually hauls dry freight in the Southeast during winter. You notice brokers posting more reefer loads out of Florida each week, and the carrier says they are happy to run produce for a few months.
You plan a load that ends near a Florida growing area, so the truck is in place as the harvest picks up. On the first produce load, you confirm the temperature and continuous mode on the rate con, ask the driver to check the pulp temperature at pickup and note it on the BOL, and agree detention terms in writing.
As spring turns to summer, you watch which areas are busiest and plan each reload so the truck follows the harvest north instead of sitting empty in an area that has slowed down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do only reefer carriers benefit from produce season?
Reefer carriers feel it most, but dry van and flatbed carriers can also see changes, because the whole market shifts when many trucks move to produce.
What is pulp temperature?
Pulp temperature is the temperature inside the produce itself, checked with a probe thermometer. Drivers often record it at pickup to show the freight was loaded at the right temperature.
Why do produce loads get rejected?
Produce can be rejected for temperature problems, damage or quality issues at delivery. Good records, such as pulp temperatures and reefer settings, help the carrier show what happened.
Is produce season the same every year?
The general pattern repeats, but the timing and strength change with weather, crops and the wider freight market. Check current conditions every season.
Learn to read the freight market
The Dispatcher 101 course covers equipment, freight and finding loads in its Equipment and Freight, Logistics and Finding Freight sections. Students on both plans get 1-on-1 mentorship with Joe Piazza to talk through a real season plan. To practice the basics, try our free dispatcher tools. The Gold plan adds the agreements and templates, 12 months of load board access, the Certificate of Completion and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
