Seasonal Freight Calendar

January is the quietest month on the freight calendar for most equipment types. The post-holiday slowdown hits dry van hardest — retailers overstocked during Q4 and are now working through inventory rather than ordering more. Flatbed is nearly dormant as winter weather halts construction projects across the northern half of the country. The bright spot is South Florida, where produce season is already running. Reefer demand rises steadily as tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, and early citrus shipments ramp up out of Homestead, Immokalee, and Plant City. If you run reefer, head south. If you run dry van, use January for maintenance, tire replacements, and your annual DOT inspection while rates are low.

Florida produce season is in full swing, pushing Southeast reefer rates to their regional high for the year. Strawberries out of Plant City, tomatoes from Homestead, and bell peppers from Immokalee are all shipping heavy volume. The Rio Grande Valley in Texas is moving citrus and vegetables. Meanwhile dry van is still sluggish nationally, though you will see slight improvement as some shippers begin spring inventory planning. Oilfield activity in the Permian Basin typically restarts after the holiday slowdown, creating flatbed and heavy haul demand in West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Construction remains minimal in the Midwest and Northeast due to weather.

March is the inflection point where freight starts moving upward. Florida produce hits peak stride — blueberries join the mix alongside continued tomato and pepper shipments. The Rio Grande Valley is shipping citrus and vegetables at high volume. Spring weight restrictions begin in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas), limiting axle weights on rural roads and creating capacity constraints as some carriers avoid affected states. Minnesota DOT set its 2026 restrictions from March 3 in the Metro, South, and Southeast zones through March 20 in the North zone, running as late as May 15. Construction materials begin moving as the thaw hits the mid-South and mid-Atlantic. Dry van improves noticeably as retailers begin their spring inventory push.

Source: MnDOT 2026 spring load restrictions

April is where the freight calendar gets serious, and it is the start of the national reefer peak. Florida blueberries, Georgia Vidalia onions, California strawberries, and Carolinas early crops all ship simultaneously, and refrigerated demand in the Southeast outstrips the trucks available to cover it. Flatbed hits its stride as construction season gets underway from the mid-South through the Northeast — road projects, bridge work, and commercial building all require steel, lumber, concrete, and heavy equipment. Dry van benefits from spring retail and general freight increases. This is the first month of the year where all three major equipment types see strong rates at the same time. If you are going to reposition for seasonal advantage, April is the month to be in the Southeast or California.

May is the second half of the reefer peak that began in April, and taken together those two months are the strongest stretch of the year for refrigerated equipment. Georgia peaches and blueberries, Carolinas spring crops, and the tail end of Florida shipments keep reefer demand elevated. Central California enters its busiest period with lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and early stone fruit. Flatbed remains strong as construction runs at full pace across most of the country and the residential building season drives lumber and materials demand. Dry van continues to improve as summer retail inventory building begins — outdoor furniture, garden supplies, grills, and seasonal merchandise all move from warehouses to stores. Capacity tightens across most major corridors.

June sees the produce calendar shift its center of gravity from the Southeast to California and the Pacific Northwest. Washington cherry season begins — cherries are among the most time-sensitive reefer commodities in the country, which supports strong rates during the harvest window. California stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums) and grapes begin shipping from the San Joaquin Valley. Southeast produce winds down as Georgia and the Carolinas finish their harvests. Construction remains at peak levels, keeping flatbed rates strong. Automotive plants are typically in full production, generating consistent dry van freight from manufacturing hubs in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. June is solid across all equipment types, though Southeast reefer rates ease as produce moves west.

July presents a mixed picture. Washington cherries are at peak volume, California grapes and stone fruit are shipping strong, and summer produce keeps reefer respectable — though nationally this is the start of reefer's softest stretch as spring produce finishes and fall crops have not begun. Construction is at its annual peak with the longest daylight hours allowing extended work schedules, so flatbed demand stays high. Many automotive plants schedule their summer shutdown for model-year changeover and planned maintenance in July, and the timing and length vary by manufacturer and year. That shutdown can soften dry van rates on Midwest lanes that depend heavily on auto parts and finished vehicle components. The Independence Day holiday also creates a short disruption in freight movement.

August is the bridge between summer freight patterns and the fall surge. Late-summer produce continues from California and the Pacific Northwest, and Washington apples begin their harvest. Back-to-school retail creates a noticeable uptick in dry van freight as clothing, electronics, supplies, and furniture ship to stores and dorms across the country. This is often the first clear sign of the Q4 freight wave building. Construction remains strong but some projects begin wrapping up in anticipation of fall. Carriers who plan ahead start pre-positioning for the Midwest harvest — grain elevators, ethanol plants, and agricultural processors in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Nebraska will need significant truck capacity starting in September.

September marks the beginning of the fall freight surge — the most intense and sustained period of high demand on the calendar. The Midwest harvest kicks off in earnest as corn, soybeans, wheat, and other grains move from fields to elevators, processors, and export terminals, creating heavy demand for hopper trailers and dry van in rural Midwest corridors. Simultaneously, holiday import season ramps up at the major ports — Los Angeles/Long Beach, Savannah, Charleston, Newark, and Houston see container volumes climb as retailers receive goods ordered months earlier. Those containers need to be drayed to warehouses and then distributed inland, creating cascading demand across intermodal, dry van, and reefer. Rates across most equipment types begin climbing and generally continue upward through November.

October is the strongest month of the year for dry van, flatbed, and hopper freight, because three demand drivers converge at once. The Midwest harvest is in full swing with corn and soybeans moving at maximum volume. Holiday import freight from the ports is filling distribution centers nationwide as retailers stock shelves before Black Friday. And general retail restocking hits its annual high as consumer spending ramps toward the holidays. Reefer is the exception to the October story — it already had its national peak in April and May, though California ships year-round and holiday food freight starts adding reefer demand late in the month. Flatbed benefits from the final push of construction before winter, plus heavy equipment moves as projects wrap up. Capacity is genuinely tight in October: if you are on the road with available hours, you are in a strong position to negotiate.

November sustains the October peak with some shifts in composition. Holiday retail freight is at its zenith — Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas shopping rush create relentless demand for dry van capacity from distribution centers to retail locations. The Washington apple harvest wraps up, ending one of the longest produce seasons in the country. The Midwest harvest winds down as fields empty, though grain transport to export terminals and processors continues. Flatbed begins its seasonal slowdown as construction projects close for winter in the northern states, while Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas maintain activity. Thanksgiving week itself creates a mini-disruption: many drivers take time off, which tightens capacity further and supports elevated rates for carriers who keep running.

December is a tale of two halves, and the split matters more than the monthly average. The first two to three weeks maintain the holiday freight rush — retailers making final inventory pushes, e-commerce fulfillment running at maximum speed, and last-minute seasonal shipments keeping dry van and reefer elevated. That is especially true for reefer carriers hauling holiday food: turkeys, hams, dairy, baked goods, and beverages ship at premium rates to grocery chains and food distributors. Then Christmas hits and the freight market falls off a cliff. The week between Christmas and New Year is one of the deadest periods in trucking — shippers close, warehouses run skeleton crews, and load boards thin out dramatically. Rates crater. Plan late December for home time, maintenance, and tax preparation. The cycle resets in January.

Dry van follows the retail calendar closely. Rates bottom out in January when retailers are working through holiday inventory and shippers are budgeting for the new year. The slow climb begins in March, accelerates through back-to-school in August, and peaks from October through the middle of December. The window closes hard: once Christmas passes, dry van demand collapses for the last week of the year, so treat the strong period as October to mid-December rather than the full quarter.

Reefer has the most distinct seasonal pattern of any equipment type because it follows agriculture rather than retail. The strong window is February through June, and the national peak falls in April and May when Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and California all ship at once. A second, smaller peak arrives from October through December on holiday food freight — turkeys, hams, dairy, and baked goods. July and August are the soft spot, between summer produce winding down and fall shipments ramping up.

Flatbed is the most weather-dependent equipment type. When the ground thaws and construction begins, flatbed rates rise. When snow flies and building stops, rates drop. The peak window is April through October when construction activity, road projects, and infrastructure work are in full swing. Southern flatbed carriers run a longer season because construction continues year-round in Texas, Florida, and the Gulf states.

Step deck follows the construction calendar but specifically tracks heavy equipment and oversized loads. Excavators, bulldozers, cranes, industrial components, and prefabricated structures all move on step deck trailers, and demand peaks when large-scale projects are active in summer. Wind farm construction has become a significant step deck market, with tower sections and nacelles moving from manufacturing plants to installation sites during the summer construction window.

Hotshot is less seasonal and more event-driven, which is why it reads as steady across the whole calendar rather than peaking in any particular month. Emergency freight, expedited parts, and oilfield servicing create demand throughout the year. Hotshot demand tracks drilling activity in the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford, and Bakken more closely than it tracks the seasons, so watch rig counts rather than the calendar. Hotshot is also the go-to for expedited shipments that cannot wait for standard scheduling — a broken-down production line needing a part overnight pays a premium regardless of the month.

Heavy haul is the most permit-dependent and weather-sensitive equipment category. Oversize and overweight loads require state permits, pilot cars, and often route surveys — all of which are easier to obtain and execute in summer. Wind farm construction (turbine blades, tower sections, nacelles) has become a major heavy haul market during the summer construction window. Infrastructure projects including bridge beams, transformer units, and industrial equipment also concentrate in warm months when road conditions allow oversized transport.

The freight year begins here. Homestead, Immokalee, and Plant City are the epicenters, and several of these crops are already shipping by late autumn, so January finds the region in full stride rather than just starting. Reefer demand builds through the winter and peaks in March and April. Miami and Fort Myers are the primary origin markets, and northbound Florida lanes (FL to ATL, FL to the Northeast) are where reefer demand concentrates during this window.

The Valley ships overlapping with Florida, creating dual-source reefer demand in the first half of the year. McAllen, Weslaco, and Edinburg are key origins. Cross-border produce from Mexico also transits through Laredo and McAllen, adding to reefer demand. Texas-to-Midwest and Texas-to-Northeast lanes are consistently active during this period.

Georgia bridges the gap between Florida winding down and the mid-summer produce season. Vidalia onions are the signature crop and they ship in a short, concentrated spring window that creates intense short-term reefer demand — the name is a protected designation tied to a defined South Georgia production area, and the pack date that opens each season is set annually rather than being fixed. Georgia peaches follow immediately. Tifton, Vidalia, and Fort Valley are the primary origin points, and GA-to-Northeast lanes are the ones to watch in April and May.

The San Joaquin Valley and Salinas Valley are among the most productive agricultural regions in the United States, and they ship every day of the year. The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that the state produces nearly half of the country's vegetables and over three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts, on $61.2 billion in farm cash receipts for the 2024 crop year. The Salinas Valley ships lettuce and leafy greens year-round. Stone fruit peaks in June through August and grapes ship July through November. There is never a dead period for reefer in California, which makes it the most consistent produce market in the country.

Source: CDFA California Agricultural Statistics (2024 crop year)

North Carolina is a leading sweet potato state, and while the harvest runs in the fall, sweet potatoes ship from controlled-atmosphere storage year-round — so do not expect them to drive a spring surge. The spring and early summer window here is peaches, blueberries, and watermelons. Eastern North Carolina (Benson, Clinton, Nashville) and South Carolina (Edgefield, Ridge Spring) are the key origin markets.

Washington state is the anchor of Pacific Northwest produce. Cherry season (June to August) is among the most time-sensitive reefer work in the country — cherries are cooled and moved very quickly after picking, and that urgency supports strong rates through the harvest window. Washington apples run one of the longest produce seasons in the country, from August into November, providing sustained reefer demand for months. The Yakima Valley, Wenatchee, and the Columbia Basin are the primary origin markets.

The Midwest harvest is less of a reefer event and more of a dry van, hopper, and grain trailer event — but the volume is enormous. Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, and Nebraska harvest corn and soybeans that must move from fields to grain elevators, ethanol plants, feed lots, and export terminals. This creates heavy demand for truck capacity in rural corridors from September through November, coinciding with the Q4 retail surge to produce the tightest capacity of the year.