Weekly Freight Market Update: Say Peak Cheese

Spring is less than a week away, and that means a shift in the freight market as well. Produce is about to be the big story around the U.S.

We saw early signs of the season last week, and we saw markets in the South Central and Southeast continue to show signs of ramping for produce.

Produce Shipments in Southeast Have Increased Tender Rejections

Reefer is the preferred shipping method for produce. In the Southeast, tender rejections increased last week within Jacksonville, Lakeland, and Miami, Florida and seem to have normalized this week.

Jacksonville is now showing the most impact with a reefer rejection rate of 41%, the highest in the region. Miami and Jacksonville outbound volumes have dipped this week, but Lakeland continues to see increased volume where the majority of produce originates.

Increased Volume Increases Tender Rejection Rates

The increase in volume for in the region will be the trend for the coming months.  

In the South Central region, we can expect continued stability with a slight downturn in volume as the region cycles from winter to summer freight. The southern border metros saw a 12% uptick in tender rejections which could be a sign of the produce season beginning to ramp.

Finally, in Wisconsin, peak cheese production is tying up reefer capacity. Volume out of Green Bay is on the rise, leading to fewer trucks available in surrounding areas. Tender rejections were up 55% in the past month due to the 71,000 truckloads of cheese leaving the state. Winter weather will sweep through North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota this week, but no serious impact to capacity is expected.

Stay on top of the trends impacting your lanes.

See a detailed breakdown of trends in your region with the Convoy Shipper Platform. The Market Outlook curates a view of freight impacts and trends by region while our Guaranteed Primary dynamic pricing program gives a full picture of the freight RFP market.

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