It’s no secret that capacity gets tighter and freight rates higher for all shippers during produce season. While the increased freight demand during produce season affects all markets, produce shippers and those with other temperature-controlled products are hit the hardest. Yet, produce shippers that make use of these suggested tips have a better chance of finding capacity and keeping their costs manageable. 

Shipping temperature-sensitive items? Check out our Temperature Shipping Guide for temperature suggestions.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• When is produce season?
• Tips for produce shippers during produce season
  • Make your produce easy to work with
  • Have your produce truck ready
  • Make sure your carriers are vetted
  • Find providers that run temp-controlled year-round
  • Make use of technology
  • Be the produce shipper all the carriers want to work with
  • Look into multimodal solutions
  • Measure carrier performance
  • Consider a 3PL
• It’s not too late!

When is Produce Season?

Produce season is impactful because it puts pressure on freight shipping rates, which affects shippers both inside and outside the produce sector. To simplify, it’s the rise in crop volumes and heightened demand for trucks to transport these crops that impact capacity during this season. These factors lead to an increase in rates, not only for the shippers who need trucks with temperature control but for a majority of shippers across other modes and regions as well. 

It’s vital for produce shippers and all others impacted by produce season to know exactly when the spike in shipping begins. Generally, produce season begins sometime around February and runs through early fall. The main regional areas shipping increased produce are Florida and the East Coast, Texas and surrounding states, and California. 

Texas Produce Season

The most impactful time is from March through June however, produce can be found year-round coming from over the border out of Mexico. In Arizona and New Mexico, there is a push for produce that usually occurs in October or November.

Florida Produce Season

Starting as early as March, southeastern states like Florida begin to see an uptick in produce shipping. As temperatures warm up, produce season creeps its way up the East Coast with northeastern states’ produce shippers slowing down sometime in early fall.

California Produce Season

Like the East Coast, produce season starts in the southern part of the state around March and creeps its way up to the northern region, ending in early fall. 

Tips for Produce Shippers During Produce Season

Produce shippers facing challenges with capacity during produce season isn’t new. But there are things produce shippers can do to make shipping during produce season easier. Here are some tips you should consider to make it through this tough season.

Make Your Produce Easy to Work With

When capacity is tight and rates are high, carriers get to pick and choose what load they want. Make your produce shipments more desirable by making the job easy to complete. 

One way to do this is through freight consolidation. Regional consolidation makes freight easier for carriers to work with. Simply put, instead of using a long-haul truck to make many pick-ups or deliveries in a regional area, hire a regional short-haul expert to do that part. They make all the pick-ups and deliver to one spot so that your long-haul carrier can make one easy pick-up and drive onward. Vice versa is that the long-haul carrier would drop off at one regional facility, and then you use the regional carrier to make the many deliveries. 

We’ve found that consolidating the freight this way increases the percentage of on-time delivery, increasing your product’s shelf life and customer satisfaction. 

Make Sure Your Produce is Truck Ready

This goes hand in hand with making your produce easy to work with. Often, produce vendors will work with many packing house facilities. Make sure you confirm with the produce shipper where the truck needs to pick up. It’s never a great start to a shipment when a driver has to search location after location for their pick-up. Not only does the driver get frustrated, but with it being a time-sensitive shipment, you want to make sure there are no hang-ups, so it’s picked up on time, delivered on time, and your product’s shelf life is as long as possible.

Make Sure Your Carriers are Vetted

This may be your most important piece of advice. Make sure your selected carriers are properly vetted. 

What exactly do we mean by that? This means making sure they have reefer breakdown coverage. Or making sure they have the right amount of insurance coverage in case something goes wrong. 

For example, cherries are hard to come by and based on market conditions, their value can change. Does your carrier have that coverage should there be a problem? 

There’s also FSMA compliance to consider now. Does your carrier know how to work with produce shipments? Do they have that experience? Do they carry pulp thermometers in their trucks and understand that process to ensure they are not loading produce that is too hot or too cold, making sure it will be in good shape when it’s delivered? All these factors are something to keep in mind regardless of market conditions. 

When selecting and vetting your carriers, remember there is a big difference between the cheapest truck and the RIGHT truck. 

Find Providers that Run Temp-Controlled Year-Round

Finding and building a relationship with providers that execute year-round temperature-controlled freight across the country can give produce shippers a competitive advantage. By having that relationship, you’ll know and better trust your provider because they have the proven experience and understanding of working with your perishable freight. Additionally, having that reliable relationship can help you keep your costs down during peak produce season.

Make Use of Technology

Making use of transportation management (TMS) technology can help during this season. A TMS can help you with routing decisions by matching freight with the best carriers, lanes, rates, and transit service. In addition, it will allow you to optimize the in-house processes of your transportation network – which can help in both times of disruption and easier times. By selecting the best carriers and optimizing your routes, you’ll not only increase your service levels but reduce your risk. 

Having a best-in-class TMS also provides you with data-driven insight to better manage disruptions, reduce downtime, and effectively plan and budget your logistics spend. By using data analytics, you’ll be able to recognize which carriers are most likely to have the capacity, allowing you to reduce your harvesting to minimal levels. 

Having a TMS on hand gives you a full view of your network and transportation management. You’ll be able to see what’s happening across all markets, ensure proper rates for shipments, find freight consolidation options, and track everything from start to finish. You’ll be better prepared for now and any future disruptions. Not to mention, you’ll also gain an extra layer of security to your supply chain, which is something top of mind for everyone in this industry.

Be the Produce Shipper All the Carriers Want to Work With

There is never a time when you shouldn’t strive to be a shipper of choice. Carriers are in the position of choosing which shippers they want to work with. Produce shippers who provide better experiences for carriers can reap long-term benefits in the form of higher service levels, fewer claims, and better rates. 

To become a shipper that carriers want to work with, it’s important to run efficient and friendly dock operations, reduce driver wait times, provide comfortable breakroom and restroom accommodations, and pay carriers quickly. Let’s break these down further.

Have a Fair Accessorial Schedule

Make sure it is in line with industry standards. You can also leverage your relationships with other carriers, shippers, and 3pls to see how you compare.

Pay Quickly

In business, cash is king, especially for carriers. Favorable payment terms can make a world of a difference to a smaller carrier company or an owner-operator. Anything under 30 days is often ideal.

Tender with Ample Lead Time

This may not always be possible, but the sooner you get a load tender to your selected carrier, the better they can plan their own workload. Providing as much lead time as possible can help you get the best capacity available at the most cost-effective rates. It can also get you more committed freight and keep you out of the spot market. 48 hours or more is ideal. 

Simplify Your Appointment Scheduling Process

Put yourself in your provider’s shoes. What is it like to get an appointment set? Is it a huge effort or is it quick and easy? The easier and more user-friendly the process is, the more carriers will want to work with you.

Have Realistic Transit Times

Whenever possible, schedule pick-ups and deliveries that set carriers up for success. If transit is too tight and a late driver will have to wait hours for the facility to work them in, then the load is less attractive. Whereas if the pick-up and delivery are too far apart and a driver will have to sit around to get unloaded, then the load is also less attractive. Make sure your transit times are reasonable and make sense to keep carriers moving along. They will appreciate it. 

Turn Drivers as Quickly as Possible

The industry standard is two hours or less. Anything over that and your facility is at risk of having a negative reputation among drivers. Depending on your freight and operations, this may not be possible, but it is something important to keep in mind. 

Provide Basic Amenities for Drivers

Access to bathrooms, vending machines, waiting rooms, Wi-Fi, and most importantly, a friendly smile at the dock will go a LONG way.

Look Into Multimodal Solutions

When truckload capacity is tight, using a variety of modes can help mitigate capacity challenges while reducing your cost. Exploring multimodal options can be a great way to diversify risk, add capacity, and protect your freight budget. It can also give you the opportunity to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. 

Measure Carrier Performance

Whether you awarded hundreds of lanes in an RFP event or are a small shipper relying on the spot market, it’s important to have your supply chain driven by data, and tracking carrier performance is a part of that. If you can’t track it, how else can you make improvements?

Be sure to communicate your KPIs to every carrier you work with so they can be crystal clear on your expectations. Regularly evaluate your carrier base. Give them report cards and make sure their performance is not a mystery to you or them. You should also have a process in place for taking action for poor performance when needed. Again, clearly communicate that process to your providers, and be sure to stick with it. Inflationary markets will often show you which providers are serious about being your business partner. 

Consider Working With a 3PL

To gain quick access to capacity, produce shippers should work with a quality third-party logistics company (3PL). 3PLs work by having quality carrier relationships often in a network way larger than you can manage alone. Additionally, working with them gets you access to TMS technology and an expert to help you throughout times of disruption. It allows you easy access to multimodal solutions so you can easily compare rates across modes. Quality 3pls will include proper carrier vetting, so you know you’re working with a qualified carrier. Additionally, 3pls keep tabs on the industry and are well known for their skills in navigating disruptions with ease. 

IT’S NOT TOO LATE!

If you found some tips that could better help you, it’s not too late to act. Any improvements that you make now will help you ship better. The faster you act, the more likely you will beat your competition to the punch. Now all this might seem like an overwhelming amount to do, which is why we’d like to offer you our help.

Trinity has over 40 years of experience working through produce season and years of supply chain disruptions. We can help you with capacity through our network of strong carrier relationships available. We can also help you in your journey of being a shipper of choice as we offer carriers Quick Pay options through TriumphPay, available within two days.

Interested in freight consolidation or multimodal options? Our Team of Experts are here to help. We also have best-in-class TMS technology available with customized solutions to fit your needs, not the other way around, and experts to support you in those applications. Most importantly, we offer you a People-Centric approach throughout every step of the process.  

No matter what you need to get through produce season, Trinity Logistics is capable and ready to support your business.

Whether you’re at a local restaurant, a holiday party, or spending a Friday night on the town, you, or someone you know is having a drink. And no, we’re not talking about a glass of water or soda. We’re talking about alcohol, including beer, wine, spirits, liquors, and liqueurs. What does it take to get alcohol from manufacturing plants to stores and restaurants for consumers?  In order to ship alcohol safely, there are many rules and regulations to follow.   

Do We Even Drink That Much? 

In the United States alone, people who are 21 years and older consumed 7.8 billion gallons of alcohol in 2018, according to a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Breaking this down, means 6.3 billion gallons of beer, 900 million gallons of wine, and 570 million gallons of spirits consumed. So, shipping alcohol is a continued need and one that is only going to grow. Since the pandemic hit in 2020, the volume of consumed alcohol increased at least two percent year-over-year.  

The Production 

In the United States alone, the alcohol beverage industry handles more than 4 million jobs and generates almost $70 billion in revenue. This number is only going to grow but beers, wine, and spirits are all different for the consumer.  

Beer 

This sector has been dominated by big brand names ever since the beginning. Big brands like Bud Light, Coors Light, Budweiser, and Corona all make life hard for those small-town local breweries. 

While 2021 was a record year for small-town businesses with 710 openings and only 176 of their doors closing across all 50 states, they still face a tall hill to climb. In this situation, it’s David versus Goliath. Big beer companies have the brand reputation, the capital, the marketing, and all the business. Therefore, small breweries must compete not only with them but with other small local breweries to make it in the industry. 

However, with everything against them, many consumers prefer a unique-tasting beer compared to the very recognizable Bud Light can.  

While small breweries open their doors to everyone, their target audience for their beer is individuals in their twenties, thirties, and early forties. These individuals (especially Millennials) are more likely to try new drinks and prefer ones that have different flavor profiles such as sweet, salty, sour, hoppy, spicy, and more. This shows because, in 2021, the volume growth in small breweries grew by 7.9 percent and produced 24.5 million barrels of beer.  

Wine 

The wine market is as competitive as the beer field, where big brand names are a household stable with new vineyards and wineries opening across the United States.  

Some of the biggest names in this sector are Franzia, Barefoot Cellars, Twin Valley, and more. The wine sector is expected to see significant growth. In 2021, the market was worth $417.85 billion and is expected to grow 6.4 percent year over year. So, while one may face the challenge of competing with big brand names, if a quality product is produced, there is great potential. 

Spirits 

The spirits industry also referred to as hard liquor, is a sector that made $135.78 billion in 2021. This sector has a lot more variety, including spirits such as vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, gin, and more. Within each of these categories, they all have well-known competitors, meaning each one presents unique and complex challenges for those within the sector.  

But, How Does Shipping Alcohol Work? 

Whether you make beer or spirits or are a big brand name or a small business, one thing is for sure, you NEED to ship your product out to the consumers. But what does it take to ship alcohol? 

When shipping alcohol you must have certain permits and meet regulations to ship it safely and most importantly, legally in the United States.  

What Are the Regulations for Shipping Alcohol? 

Here is where things get tricky. When shipping alcohol, you must follow certain rules, but the United States does not have one set of rules for transporting alcohol. This means that all 50 states in the U.S. have different rules and regulations to follow. For example, in Delaware, carriers must abide by the Delaware Office of Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner rules but carriers traveling through New Mexico must follow the Alcoholic Beverage Control.  

Before arranging your shipment of alcohol, you must be aware of each state’s regulations for the transportation of it. Find out what you need to know about a certain state’s requirements by clicking on the link below: 

Making Shipping Alcohol Easy with a 3PL 

No matter if your company is big or small, selling beer or wine, everyone must follow these rules when shipping alcohol. However, ensuring the carrier has the proper permits can be a pain-stacking task. By using a 3PL, like Trinity Logistics, you’ll gain access to a network of strong carrier relationships and Team Member experts with experience in the regulations for shipping alcohol. 

Working with a 3PL means you’ll have someone on your side to help all the backend logistics work so you can focus on making and selling the best product. Plus, we offer a variety of shipping solutions for you, from less-than-truckload shipments to temperature-controlled intermodal, we have the shipping solution you need. 

It is undeniable that consumers are seeking healthier, protein-dense foods, which is leading them to purchase more seafood. With trending diets, including Keto’s low carb, high fat fare, seafood is a popular choice for your consumers to get their protein intake. Seafood has many nutritional benefits to offer consumers. It’s high in heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins. It is also low in saturated fat and an ideal source of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. However, seafood is considered an easily perishable commodity, due to its ease of arriving bruised, thawed or spoiled. To keep your customers and consumers happy, you have a high concern for shipping seafood safely. How can you make sure you are doing all you can to get your seafood to where it needs to go, claim-free?

Your Part: The Packaging

Part 1 in shipping seafood safely is in the packaging. Seafood is often fresh or frozen and needs to stay at certain temperatures to keep it from spoiling. It is important to know the time to ship the products and package them to keep the required temperature. Having the correct packaging can provide enough protection and refrigeration to maintain the correct temperature environment.

Styrofoam coolers, placed inside a corrugated cardboard box are best for keeping temperatures maintained. Including insulated liners can help catch any water runoff from melting ice packs before the water can damage the outer packaging. Ice, dry ice, or gel packs are often your best options for keeping the product cool. However, keep in mind, there are certain regulations in place for shipping with dry ice. Also, if you decide to go with dry ice, do not place in an airtight container. Dry ice will release carbon dioxide, causing pressure to build up and your package to explode. While coolants help keep your product cold when shipping, be careful of the proximity as they can also damage your product if they come into contact.

Our Part: Arranging Transport

It’s important that the carrier hauling your seafood is knowledgeable in the temperature requirements and handling of your product. With our huge network of carriers and relationships, we can help you select a carrier with experience, transporting your seafood safely and timely.

Sometimes with seafood, a full truckload is not always needed. Refrigerated LTL (less-than-truckload), also known as reefer LTL, is an option available to you through Trinity Logistics. Refrigerated LTL is great for shipping smaller quantities of refrigerated products, but can often be harder to arrange, and generally more expensive alone. Thankfully, when partnering with Trinity Logistics and our carrier relationships, you can get your best rate shipping with refrigerated LTL.

Another reason to choose your carriers wisely when shipping seafood is that not all insurance covers it. Sometimes it can be excluded. It can be a lot of work to find a qualified carrier at a good rate, and then find out their insurance doesn’t cover your product. Even worse, finding out after the fact when there is a claim. Trinity can help. We make sure your seafood is covered by using our relationship carriers and contacting their insurance to ensure it is covered. And if it’s not? We cover it by purchasing additional insurance for it. You can feel relieved knowing that no matter what happens, your product is covered.

If you’re looking for an experienced partner to help you ship your seafood product, consider Trinity Logistics. We would love to help you get your fish to your customer’s dinner plates. Connect with us today.

AUTHOR: Christine Griffith