South & Central CA to Dallas
What a refrigerated truckload of produce costs from South and Central California to Dallas, week by week, from USDA’s National Truck Rate Report. The latest rate, for the week of Oct 26, 2026, is $5,300–6,500 a load, mostly $5,700–6,300.
- This week
- Oct 26, 2026
- Range
- $5,300–6,500
- Mostly
- $5,700–6,300
- Change
- −3%
- Trucks
- Slight Shortage
Is this week’s rate high or low? · On the high side
Higher than 156 of the 161 earlier weeks on record.
Lowest on recordHighest on record
Shipping from South & Central CA this week: Anise, Artichokes, Avocados, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower and 12 more.
A year earlier (week of Oct 27, 2025) the middle of the range was $4,200; this week’s is +43% against that. Over the last 52 weeks the lane was quoted 50 times, averaging $4,977 at the middle, from a low of $3,900 to a high of $7,000. 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 $5,300–6,500 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 $5,300–6,500 rate across them.
Every week on record Sep 4, 2023 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 | $5,300–6,500 | $5,700–6,300 | −3% | Slight Shortage |
| Oct 19, 2026 | $5,500–6,800 | $5,900–6,500 | +11% | Slight Shortage |
| Oct 12, 2026 | $5,000–6,200 | $5,300–5,900 | 0% | Shortage |
| Oct 5, 2026 | $5,000–6,200 | $5,300–5,900 | 0% | Shortage |
| Sep 28, 2026 | $5,000–6,200 | $5,300–5,900 | 0% | Shortage |
| Sep 21, 2026 | $5,000–6,200 | $5,300–5,900 | +6% | Shortage |
| Sep 14, 2026 | $5,000–5,600 | $5,100–5,500 | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Sep 7, 2026 | $5,000–5,600 | $5,100–5,500 | −5% | Slight Shortage |
| Aug 31, 2026 | $5,200–6,000 | $5,300–5,800 | +1% | Slight Shortage |
| Aug 24, 2026 | $5,100–5,700 | $5,300–5,700 | +4% | Adequate |
| Aug 17, 2026 | $4,500–6,100 | $5,100–5,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Aug 10, 2026 | $4,500–6,100 | $5,100–5,500 | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Aug 3, 2026 | $4,300–5,800 | $5,100–5,500 | +2% | Slight Shortage |
| Jul 27, 2026 | $4,800–5,400 | $5,000–5,400 | −4% | Slight Shortage |
| Jul 20, 2026 | $4,900–5,800 | $5,100–5,700 | +2% | Slight Shortage |
| Jul 13, 2026 | $4,900–5,600 | $5,100–5,500 | −5% | Slight Shortage |
| Jul 6, 2026 | $5,000–5,800 | $5,400–5,800 | −8% | Slight Shortage |
| Jun 29, 2026 | $5,600–6,600 | $5,900–6,300 | — | Slight Shortage |
| Jun 15, 2026 | $5,600–7,000 | $5,900–6,300 | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| Jun 8, 2026 | $5,700–6,500 | $5,900–6,300 | — | Slight Shortage |
| Jun 1, 2026 | $5,700–6,500 | $5,900–6,300 | +20% | Slight Shortage |
| May 25, 2026 | $4,600–5,500 | $4,900–5,300 | 0% | Slight Shortage |
| May 18, 2026 | $4,600–5,500 | $4,900–5,300 | +3% | Adequate |
| May 11, 2026 | $4,600–5,200 | $4,800–5,100 | 0% | Adequate |
| May 4, 2026 | $4,600–5,200 | $4,800–5,100 | — | Adequate |
| Apr 27, 2026 | $4,600–5,200 | $4,800–5,100 | 0% | Adequate |
| Apr 20, 2026 | $4,600–5,300 | $4,800–5,100 | — | Adequate |
| Apr 13, 2026 | $4,600–5,300 | $4,800–5,100 | +6% | Slight Shortage |
| Apr 6, 2026 | $4,300–5,100 | $4,400–4,900 | — | Slight Shortage |
| Mar 23, 2026 | $4,000–4,600 | $4,100–4,400 | +1% | Shortage |
| Mar 16, 2026 | $3,900–4,500 | $4,000–4,400 | −2% | Adequate |
| Mar 9, 2026 | $4,100–4,600 | $4,100–4,500 | +5% | Adequate |
| Mar 2, 2026 | $3,900–4,300 | — | −5% | Adequate |
| Feb 23, 2026 | $4,000–4,600 | $4,100–4,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Feb 16, 2026 | $4,100–4,700 | $4,100–4,500 | 0% | Adequate |
| Feb 9, 2026 | $4,100–4,700 | $4,100–4,500 | −2% | Adequate |
| Feb 2, 2026 | $4,200–4,900 | $4,200–4,600 | −6% | Adequate |
| Jan 26, 2026 | $4,200–5,100 | $4,500–4,900 | −3% | Adequate |
| Jan 19, 2026 | $4,200–5,300 | $4,600–5,100 | — | Adequate |
| Jan 12, 2026 | $4,300–4,900 | $4,300–4,700 | 0% | Adequate |
| Jan 5, 2026 | $4,300–4,900 | $4,300–4,700 | — | Adequate |
| Dec 29, 2025 | $4,300–4,900 | $4,300–4,700 | −1% | Adequate |
| Dec 22, 2025 | $4,200–4,900 | $4,400–4,700 | +11% | Slight Shortage |
| Dec 15, 2025 | $4,000–4,200 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Dec 8, 2025 | $4,000–4,200 | — | −2% | Adequate |
| Dec 1, 2025 | $4,000–4,400 | — | −8% | Adequate |
| Nov 24, 2025 | $4,400–4,700 | — | +14% | Adequate |
| Nov 17, 2025 | $3,900–4,100 | — | −7% | Adequate |
| Nov 10, 2025 | $4,100–4,500 | — | +2% | Adequate |
| Nov 3, 2025 | $4,000–4,400 | — | 0% | Adequate |
| Oct 27, 2025 | $4,000–4,400 | — | +2% | Adequate |
| Oct 20, 2025 | $3,800–4,400 | — | +4% | Adequate |
Into Dallas this week Cheapest first
| From | Range |
|---|---|
| South Texas | $1,500–2,200 |
| Nogales, AZ | $3,300–3,700 |
| Imperial Valley & Yuma | $5,550–5,815 |
| South & Central CA | $5,300–6,500 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $6,215–6,580 |
| Yakima & Wenatchee, WA | $8,200–9,700 |
From South & Central CA this week Cheapest first
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 “SOUTH AND CENTRAL DISTRICT 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.