In mid-April, Lance Dichter, president of LD Logistics, headquartered at Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News that trucking costs during the winter season this year were down.

“We had lows in some months that we hadn’t seen in the past,” said Dichter. “Looking at comparatives to last year, rates even in late April are down slightly.”

He added that truck supplies were still ample in April.

“We’re not seeing shortages,” he said. “It’s hard to tell what will happen with prices as spring and summer are in full swing and business picks up, but we don’t expect anything out of the normal.”

LD Logistics is a third-party firm that focuses strictly on long-haul trucking. It began over 10 years ago, and its middle-man function has worked well. It arranges logistics between suppliers and end users.

“The majority of our deliveries are in the Northeast and the Southeast corridors,” explained Dichter. “We typically make pickups in seven states; California, Arizona, Washington, Florida, Oregon, Idaho and Texas.”

The company also handles produce from Mexico once it arrives in the United States in McAllen, TX, and Nogales, AZ.

Dichter expected the spring movement to start strongly in late April, saying that as the season encroaches the company would know exactly what is coming out of the ground and where.

“It’s imperative that we have this information on a constant basis,” he explained. “It’s the only way to be prepared. Come June and July the demand for truckers is very high, and we expect the same this year. We’ll start our Mother’s Day pull in early May, and then it’s guns a’ blazing throughout the summer movement.”

He also noted that truckers out of Florida are tight this time of the year because of floral industry creates strong competition.

During its high season the company has as many as 190 trucks on the road weekly.

“We use computer software that has all of the information needed to track shipments from when they are picked up, the carrier’s location throughout the trip and when the truck is due to arrive at its destination,” said Dichter. “Our drivers also check in with us daily. Any time we stamp in an update it auto fires out an email to the customer, and our 14 staff members stay on top of every detail at all times.

“It’s important to keep up with the times,” he continued. “Doing that and servicing our customers are our primary goals.”