Salinas, CA to Chicago
What a refrigerated truckload of produce costs from Salinas–Watsonville, California to Chicago, week by week, from USDA’s National Truck Rate Report. The latest rate, for the week of Oct 26, 2026, is $6,810–7,130 a load.
- This week
- Oct 26, 2026
- Range
- $6,810–7,130
- Change
- +33%
- Trucks
- Adequate
Is this week’s rate high or low? · On the high side
Higher than 157 of the 200 earlier weeks on record.
Lowest on recordHighest on record
Shipping from Salinas, CA this week: Boston lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Leaf lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, Red Leaf lettuce, Romaine lettuce, Strawberries.
A year earlier (week of Oct 27, 2025) the middle of the range was $5,850; this week’s is +19% against that. Over the last 52 weeks the lane was quoted 35 times, averaging $6,598 at the middle, from a low of $4,500 to a high of $9,250. Months it has been quoted in: all year.
Rate per mile This week’s quote, for your trip
Enter the trip’s miles to turn the $6,810–7,130 rate into dollars per mile.
Freight cost per case What the truck adds to each case and pound
Enter how many cases fill the truck to spread the $6,810–7,130 rate across them.
Every week on record Apr 19, 2021 to Oct 26, 2026
The shaded band runs from the lowest to the highest rate USDA reported each week; the line is the middle of the “mostly” range, or of the full range when USDA gives no “mostly”. Gaps are weeks the lane wasn’t quoted.
Week by week The last 52 quotes
| Week of | Range | Mostly | Change | Trucks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26, 2026 | $6,810–7,130 | — | +33% | Adequate |
| Oct 19, 2026 | $5,090–5,400 | — | −42% | Adequate |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $8,750–9,250 | — | +4% | Adequate |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $8,500–8,820 | — | +28% | Slight Shortage |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $6,600–6,900 | — | +18% | Slight Shortage |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $5,500–5,900 | — | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $5,500–5,900 | — | −8% | Slight Shortage |
| Sep 7, 2026 | $6,000–6,400 | — | −6% | Slight Shortage |
| Aug 31, 2026 | $6,400–6,800 | — | −3% | Slight Shortage |
| Aug 24, 2026 | $6,600–7,000 | — | +6% | Adequate |
| Aug 17, 2026 | $6,200–6,600 | — | −9% | Adequate |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $6,900–7,200 | — | −3% | Adequate |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $7,000–7,600 | — | +11% | Adequate |
| Jul 27, 2026 | $6,400–6,800 | — | −2% | Adequate |
| Jul 20, 2026 | $6,500–7,000 | — | +4% | Adequate |
| Jul 13, 2026 | $6,300–6,700 | — | −4% | Slight Shortage |
| Jul 6, 2026 | $6,600–7,000 | — | +1% | Adequate |
| Jun 29, 2026 | $6,500–7,000 | — | −5% | Adequate |
| Jun 22, 2026 | $6,800–7,400 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Jun 15, 2026 | $6,800–7,400 | — | +2% | Adequate |
| Jun 8, 2026 | $6,500–7,400 | — | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Jun 1, 2026 | $6,500–7,400 | — | +3% | Slight Shortage |
| May 25, 2026 | $6,500–7,000 | — | −12% | Slight Shortage |
| May 18, 2026 | $7,300–8,000 | — | +26% | Slight Shortage |
| May 11, 2026 | $5,800–6,300 | — | −12% | Adequate |
| May 4, 2026 | $6,200–7,500 | — | +3% | Adequate |
| Apr 27, 2026 | $6,000–7,300 | — | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Apr 20, 2026 | $6,000–7,300 | — | −2% | Slight Shortage |
| Apr 13, 2026 | $6,300–7,300 | — | — | Slight Shortage |
| Dec 8, 2025 | $5,200–6,000 | — | — | Adequate |
| Dec 1, 2025 | $4,500–4,800 | — | −21% | Adequate |
| Nov 24, 2025 | $5,700–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 17, 2025 | $5,700–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 10, 2025 | $5,700–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 3, 2025 | $5,700–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 27, 2025 | $5,700–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 20, 2025 | $5,500–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 13, 2025 | $5,500–6,000 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 6, 2025 | $5,500–6,000 | — | — | Adequate |
| Jan 13, 2025 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Jan 6, 2025 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Dec 30, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | — | Adequate |
| Dec 16, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Dec 9, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Dec 2, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 25, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 18, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 11, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Nov 4, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 28, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 21, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 14, 2024 | $4,300–5,600 | $4,800–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
Into Chicago this week Cheapest first
| From | Range |
|---|---|
| Florida, statewide | $2,150–2,350 |
| Georgia | $2,200–2,400 |
| South Texas | $3,600–4,400 |
| Nogales, AZ | $6,200–6,400 |
| Salinas, CA | $6,810–7,130 |
| Imperial Valley & Yuma | $7,280–7,630 |
| Kern, CA | $7,460–7,980 |
| Yakima & Wenatchee, WA | $7,200–8,800 |
| South & Central CA | $7,825–8,115 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $7,920–8,295 |
From Salinas, CA this week Cheapest first
| To | Range | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $6,810–7,130 | +33% |
| Baltimore | $10,300–10,700 | +12% |
| Philadelphia | $10,300–10,700 | 0% |
| New York | $12,130–12,835 | −6% |
About these numbers
Rates are USDA’s, for a full load in a 48 to 53 foot refrigerated trailer, broker fees included, as reported in the Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report. The range is the lowest to highest rate reported that week; “mostly” is where most loads moved. USDA names this shipping area “SALINAS-WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA”. The latest report was published Oct 28, 2026; the next is due Wed, Nov 4, 2026.
The rate sheet has every lane for this week, how the data is collected, and the whole history as a CSV download. Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops Market News.