By the Connect Express Team, Glendale, AZ. Published November 3, 2026.
The Nogales produce season is officially on the USDA’s radar. In its Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report for Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service added “Mexico Crossings Through Nogales Arizona” as a shipping district, marked as the first report of the season. The opening read on trucks was calm: USDA rated truck availability adequate for every destination city it listed.
What the First Nogales Report Shows
USDA’s report tracks spot-market truck rates and truck availability for produce moving in 48 to 53 foot refrigerated trailers. For the Nogales crossings, the first report covered cucumbers, eggplant, honeydews, grey squash, yellow straightneck squash, zucchini and watermelons. Truck availability was listed as adequate to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
The same report rated truck availability adequate for the district that covers the Imperial and Coachella Valleys in California, central and western Arizona, and Mexico crossings through Calexico and San Luis. That district’s list included lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and spinach.
Where Trucks Were Tighter
Not every produce region looked the same. Truck availability was mixed in the South and Central District of California, where USDA rated citrus (grapefruit, lemons and oranges) at a slight shortage while the district’s vegetables stayed adequate. The Yakima Valley and Wenatchee district in Washington was at a slight shortage, while Mexico crossings through South Texas showed a slight surplus. These ratings change weekly, so they are a starting point for planning, not a forecast.
Fuel Is Still a Big Part of the Cost
USDA’s report points readers to the Energy Information Administration for diesel prices. EIA’s weekly update, released November 3, put the U.S. average on-highway diesel price at $6.292 a gallon for the week of November 2, 2026, down 6.0 cents from the week before and $2.539 above a year ago. The West Coast (PADD 5) average, the region that includes Arizona, was $7.272. Our diesel price watch for Arizona tracks the weekly numbers.
What It Means for Phoenix and Glendale Shippers
Nogales sits at the south end of I-19, which meets I-10 in Tucson, the same interstate that runs through Phoenix. Border produce and other temperature-controlled freight in Arizona draw on the same reefer trucks, so it pays to plan ahead as the season builds. Last month’s Mexico trucker strike was a reminder that border freight can change quickly.
What Shippers Can Do Now
- Plan regular refrigerated transportation early in the season, before more trucks are committed to produce.
- Use our guide on how to book reefer capacity without delays to send complete load details the first time.
- Confirm temperatures and paperwork with our reefer shipping checklist for Arizona.
- Check USDA’s weekly truck rate report and EIA’s weekly diesel update so your plans reflect the latest numbers.
Planning reefer or dry van freight around the produce season? Call Connect Express at 480-401-1998, email admin@connectexpressllc.com, or visit us at 5701 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301.
