Florida, Texas lane shortages
- Seasonal imbalances are tightening eastbound Florida lanes and certain South Texas corridors. - DAT flagged eastbound Florida shortages with Atlanta capacity tight by about 42% and Chicago by about 25%. - Produce season and regional demand are concentrating premium rates on those lanes, especially for drivers who can reload quickly. (x.com)
Florida’s produce season has flipped central and south Florida into a truck shortage on eastbound lanes, sending spot rates sharply higher this week. (dat.com) DAT Freight & Analytics said data for the week ending April 21, 2026 showed Atlanta-bound loads from Florida up 42% in a single week and Chicago-bound loads up 25%. Philadelphia rose 23%, Baltimore 17%, and New York 14% as every eastbound Florida lane moved into shortage status. (dat.com) South Texas has been tight for weeks as Mexican produce moves through the border crossings, and DAT said on March 24 that all nine reefer lanes out of the region were in slight shortage. Over three weeks, Dallas rates rose from $1,900 to $2,800, up 47%, while Chicago climbed from $3,700 to $5,200, up 28%. (dat.com) Produce season pulls refrigerated trailers into harvest regions, and those trailers often stay where the next paying load is easiest to find. DAT said Florida’s late-season supply is narrowing fast, while trucks also have better options in other markets, leaving fewer empty trailers for eastbound reloads. (dat.com) The squeeze follows a rapid reversal in Florida. Just last month, DAT reported central and south Florida had slipped to “adequate” truck availability after four straight weeks of declines, with Lakeland-to-Atlanta paying about $1,050 to $1,250 a load. (dat.com) By April 7, DAT said Florida had bounced back with double-digit gains as the broader spring produce market tightened across Nogales, California and South Texas. That same report tied the seasonal turn to the April 13 Vidalia onion pack date, a common marker for the spring shipping rush. (dat.com) Federal produce truck-rate reports show these are spot-market moves, meaning the prices shippers or receivers pay for single truckload shipments, including broker fees. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s April 22 national truck rate report said those quotes reflect open-market sales for full truckload produce moves. (ams.usda.gov) For carriers, the best-paying loads are concentrating on lanes where a driver can unload and quickly find the next shipment. For shippers in Florida and South Texas, that means the cost of finding refrigerated capacity can change by double digits in a single week. (dat.com)
