Harvest and Produce Season Begins

U.S. harvest season 2023 has begun, which can mean capacity and pricing challenges. Especially for refrigerated and dry van capacity.  

Since the trucking market today is pretty oversupplied, due to the market not yet contracting truckload capacity in a material way, it’s likely that this year’s season will not create the typical capacity and pricing challenges.  

Florida and Georgia typically are the first markets to harvest and have produce demand on refrigerated trucks.  

Capacity continues to be “pulled” through late spring, summer and fall including Texas, Southern California, imports from Mexico, and a general northward drift from the growing regions throughout the U.S.  

The season concludes with fall products – pumpkins, melons, and apples – from the Pacific Northwest, plus cranberries in Wisconsin, etc.  

All Eyes on Truck Parking at Capitol Hill

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to vote on the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act at a hearing on May 23rd.  

This potential legislation would authorize $755 million through fiscal 2026 that would expand access to parking for truckers.  

This is not the only potential legislation that will be discussed at this hearing. A wide range of supply chain bills such as the Supply Chain Improvement Act, Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act, and more, will be considered.  

Trailer Orders Were Down in April

Preliminary data shows U.S. trailer orders dropped 49 percent year-over-year. They also dropped 40.5 percent from the month prior.   

Industry officials at ACT Research firm says demand appears to be softening, even against strong comparisons. But, backlogs are still present.  

Additionally, some say order flows will continue throughout the next few months, but they don’t expect them to outpace production until the market hits the normal order cycle later this year… some around July/August, but for others September/October.