Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and there's an urgency to get fresh and frozen goods to supermarkets before the big day. Last week we saw the highest reefer volumes in the past three months.
We're in that transitional season between the end of fall harvests and the beginning of the holiday rush. Rates dropped in the Midwest but were up at the southern border as imports cross into the U.S.
Load volumes have been rising since mid-October, but rates have not responded until now. Van and reefer rates are now 2¢ higher than their October averages.
Even though many flatbed markets are down compared to last month, we are seeing pockets of actively spread throughout the country, and several of the major flatbed lanes improved last week.
Imported produce caused reefer loads to surge from the Nogales, AZ and McAllen, TX markets. Still, that wasn't enough to boost the national average rate.
Three of the most important van markets — Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles — had higher load counts, but increased volumes did not translate into higher rates.
