Q3 Reefer Truck Availability by Region (4-year Avg.)
(5 = Shortage of Capacity, 1 = Surplus of Capacity)
Regions follow USDA Refrigerated Truck Rates and Availability shipping-point definitions. Mid-Atlantic = Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia's Eastern Shore. Great Lakes = Central Wisconsin plus Big Lake and Central Minnesota. PNW = Washington's Columbia Basin and Yakima Valley/Wenatchee districts plus Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon.
Shortage
Tight
Adequate
Looser
Surplus
Key takeaways
  • Mexico–Texas crossings sit in structural truck surplus every Q3. Across all four years measured (2022–2025), availability averages 1.0 to 1.1—the floor of the scale—signaling consistently ample reefer capacity at the border.
  • Indiana and the Mid-Atlantic typically run short on trucks. Thin established reefer capacity in these regions collides with seasonal produce volume surges, tightening availability through the quarter.
Source: USDA