What truckers should know about harvest season

Harvest season creates a lot of opportunities for truckers to make good money hauling produce and crops. In agricultural areas, high demand for reefer carriers can raise freight rates, and truckers who plan can follow the different harvest seasons from state to state to keep the cash flowing.

Route planning is a big part of profitability during the harvest months. Start with when each crop peaks in your region, then plan around seasonal routes, compliance requirements, and how to prepare your truck (and yourself) for this busy time.

What freight lanes do shippers use during harvest season?

Harvest freight moves on a mix of full and partial shipments, short hauls, and last-mile loads, depending on how fast the crop spoils.

For shippers and brokers, the top priority is getting fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains to their destination as fast as possible, without any damage, and before they spoil. They use a combination of freight lanes to get the job done.

Crops that have a longer shelf life, like grains and corn, are suitable for long-haul, point-to-point deliveries. So, even if you don’t have a reefer truck for those urgent, short hauls, you still might be able to haul crops. If you are choosing between trailers, the dry van vs. reefer tradeoffs come down to your lanes, your cargo, and your costs.

How does the FMCSA hours of service exception work for harvest hauling?

The FMCSA agricultural commodity exception exempts drivers from hours of service rules when they haul agricultural commodities within a 150 air-mile radius of the source. It applies during planting and harvest periods set by each state.

Agricultural commodities include fresh produce, livestock, and similar goods. If you pick up a load from the source, like a farm or field, you don’t have to follow hours of service rules or log hours while you stay inside the radius. Air miles are measured in a straight line, not by road. Once you drive past the radius, standard Part 395 rules apply.

So, for example:

• You pick up a load of strawberries from a farm and deliver it to a store about 200 air miles away. Time inside the 150 air-mile radius is exempt from logging. After you cross the radius, standard hours of service rules apply for the rest of the trip.
• You haul soybeans from a field to a processor 40 miles away, then drive back empty for a second load. The exception covers the whole round trip inside the radius, loaded or empty.

Confirm your state’s harvest period dates before you rely on the exception.

What compliance do you need for interstate harvest hauling?

If you want to haul goods across state lines, or across the border of Canada and Mexico, you need an interstate operating authority and a USDOT Number. You also need to complete your Unified Carrier Registration.

When you plan to work in a new-to-you region, take some time to research:

• Speed limits for heavy trucks
• Speed limits for specific routes
• Insurance requirements for trucks
• Weigh station rules

Also, look into tolls you may encounter and how to pay them. If you have a toll pass transponder, make sure it’s compatible with tolls in the states where you’ll be driving.

Reefer loads add temperature record requirements at delivery, one of the most common produce season mistakes reefer drivers make.

How do harvest delays affect your routes?

Harvest season creates a lot of local and regional truck traffic. And when harvest time coincides with major holidays, road construction projects, or peak travel days, delays may be unavoidable. Planning around when each state’s produce season peaks helps you avoid the heaviest traffic.

When planning routes, allow extra time to account for traffic congestion. Use transportation management systems (TMS) to communicate delays to shippers and brokers.

How do you manage fuel costs during harvest season?

Expect to spend more than usual on fuel, especially if you’re driving a reefer. To save money at the pump, consider downloading an app that shows you where the lowest prices are, or use a fuel card that awards points for purchases.

You can also negotiate fuel surcharges with shippers and carriers to help prevent incurring a loss if fuel prices increase.

How do you stay safe on the road during harvest season?

Always keep safety in mind when you’re working long hours in unfamiliar areas.

Rest

It’s important to stay alert and give yourself time to rest. A lot of agricultural areas are remote, without many spots to stop for a break. So if you’ve been on the road a while and see a rest stop or truck stop, pull over and take a break, even if you don’t feel tired. It’s never a bad idea to get out of your cab and stretch!

Even if you’re capitalizing on the HOS exception for agricultural loads, try to stick to a regular sleep schedule. Lack of sleep can impair reaction time, coordination, and judgment, all of which truckers need when behind the wheel.

Maintain your truck

Transporting crops and produce over long distances puts a lot of wear and tear on trucks. Thoroughly inspect your truck before harvest season and at the end of every day. Pay particular attention to the belts, hoses, and tires, and check for any coolant leaks. (Use our pre-trip checklist as a guide.)

Prepare an emergency kit

You probably have an emergency kit already, but think about what you might need if your truck breaks down on an isolated rural road during a long harvest run.

Here are some items to add to your kit:

• Water (one gallon per person, per day)
• High-protein shelf-stable snacks
• Sunscreen
• A rain poncho or umbrella
• Extra flares
• Reflective, high-vis vest (for nighttime roadside repairs)
• Warm layers and a blanket for cooler harvest months

How do you find reefer loads during harvest season?

Harvest season sends a wave of refrigerated produce out of growing regions, and reefer freight moves fast. Reefer carriers spend less time sorting when the board only shows loads that fit their trailer. The Reefer Load Board is a dedicated board for carriers running reefer equipment, built on the same Truckstop Load Board search and tools you already know.

The board surfaces reefer-eligible freight, including standard reefer, reefer with plant decking, and combinations like van/reefer and flatbed/reefer. Your harvest loads show up in one place instead of across a board full of other equipment types.

Rates move with crop timing, so check reefer rates before you accept a load. Reefer Pro adds SONAR Insights, including a 7-day trend, destination rate per mile, and posted rate, to help inform your pricing when demand spikes. Carriers can also book loads faster on the Reefer Load Board once the rush starts.

Where to start

Harvest season pays carriers who plan ahead. Map your routes around crop timing, confirm the hours of service exception applies before you rely on it, build in delay time, and check rates before you accept a load.

If you haul grain or other dry freight, search loads and set up Load Alert Notifications on the Carrier Load Board.

If you run reefer equipment, book harvest freight on the Reefer Load Board and spend your time moving produce, not sorting through freight that does not fit your truck.

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