Spring produce has gotten off to a slow start this year. The momentum had been building in Florida and Texas, but that stalled a bit last week. Reefer demand did pick up steam out of California, though, and rates responded out of three major markets.
On the top 72 reefer lanes, the average rate paid to carriers rose on 37 of them, while prices fell on 31. The remaining four were neutral, but things could start to pick up more in the coming weeks.
All rates below include fuel surcharges and are based on real transactions between brokers and carriers.
RISING
Prices did spike out of Lakeland, FL, but that could be short-lived without an increase in volumes:
- Reefer rates on the lane from Lakeland to Charlotte surged 41¢ to $1.93/mile
The gains in California look longer-lasting so far.
- Reefer load counts were up in Sacramento, while outbound rates popped out of Fresno
- We also saw improvements out of the southern part of the state, with higher rates out of Los Angeles and Ontario
FALLING
On the whole, outbound rates from Philadelphia fell the furthest of any of the major reefer markets. One inbound lane also had the biggest decline of the week: Grand Rapids, MI, to Philly was down 44¢, but still averaged $4.29/mile.
Find loads, trucks and lane-by-lane rate information in DAT load boards, including rates from DAT RateView.
