California citrus is the week’s biggest story. South/Central CA citrus (blood oranges, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, tangelos) jumped from Adequate to Shortage on all nine destinations in a single week — the first Shortage for any California commodity in 2026. Rates surged: Seattle +12%, Atlanta +11%, Boston +11% ($8,800–$9,400), New York +10% ($8,700–$9,300), Miami +5%. Storm-damaged yields are finally catching up to the citrus market as the season winds down.
South Texas is fully locked up for the second straight week — all nine lanes at Slight Shortage on loads of asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and other Mexican imports. Atlanta jumped +12% to $5,300–$5,900, Baltimore +8% to $7,800–$8,200, and Philadelphia +8% to $8,000–$8,500. The four-week cumulative moves tell the story: Dallas +47%, Chicago +49%, Atlanta +40%. The border squeeze shows no signs of easing.
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Nogales tightened back up with six of eight lanes at Slight Shortage on green beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and watermelons. Atlanta surged +16% to $6,400–$6,500, Baltimore +9% to $9,100–$9,400, and Boston hit $9,900–$10,000. The LA lane gave back last week’s gains (-17%), but the eastbound pattern is clearly tightening. Yakima Valley went to Slight Shortage on all ten lanes for the first time this year on apples and pears, with LA +5%, Miami +4%, and Atlanta +3%.
Florida remains range-bound for the third straight week. Atlanta slipped to $1,000–$1,200 (-8%) — the lowest in our 2026 tracking — while Boston ticked up +3% and Baltimore fell -4%. The post-freeze crop damage means fewer loads, keeping rates soft despite Slight Shortage on four of six lanes. California produce lanes (lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries) held flat for the fourth consecutive week ($7,500–$8,400), though the flatline cracked on Kern District carrots (+12–15% to $8,600–$9,500) and South/Central produce to Philadelphia (+14%). Colorado potatoes and New York apples remain unchanged.
National reefer linehaul spot rates
The current average linehaul rate for reefers has risen to $2.38 per mile, an increase of $0.06 per mile, as carriers have started recovering a larger portion of the escalating fuel surcharge. This rate is significantly higher than last year’s rate for the same period, exceeding it by $0.48 per mile (a 26% jump). Moreover, it is $0.50 per mile (21%) above the five-year average, discounting the atypical highs observed in 2021 and 2022.
Reefer Market Conditions
The reefer load-to-truck ratio saw a 5% drop, landing at 19.78. Despite this decrease, the ratio remains more than double what it was a year ago. Last week, while equipment post volumes stayed relatively flat, load post volumes fell by 4%.
