Gabriela Martin, director of McAllen-based AG Freight Services, LLC says her company, a third-party logistics coordinator that helps move product around the state and country, had a truck stuck in Houston for two days unable to pick up or deliver.
“For every load that was [scheduled to go] out of Texas, we had to find another way,” she says, recalling the aftermath of Harvey. “Two days doesn’t sound like a long time to the consumer, but in the shelf-life of produce, it can mean all the difference.”
In-truck monitoring
Happening here and throughout the industry is the advent of the electronic logging device (ELD), which synchronizes with a truck’s engine to track driving time and duty status. The goal is one of safety, but more than a few companies are struggling to adjust. This, too, is exacerbating the already tight market for trucks and drivers.
“Demand is so great that prices are going up really fast,” points out Martin, and there are too few drivers and trucks to meet escalating demand. “Between that and ELDs, the impact will be felt all the way down to the end consumer,” she predicts.
“Your time is being tracked, and you can’t drive more than 8 hours, at which point you have to have 10 hours off duty,” comments Vazquez. “If you’ve been on duty for 70 hours in 8 days, you have to take 34 hours uninterrupted; ELDs are making things worse.”
Scott Blanchard, head of Latin grower relations at Tomato Management Corp., agrees. “It’s going to be harder for old guys to make the change,” he says. “You’re going to have to order a day early, because your truck will be a day later. In the produce industry, a day or two late is a lifetime.”
The Problem with Pests
As weather systems vacillate from one extreme to another, the threat of pests and diseases has growers increasingly concerned. All the wet weather from Harvey encouraged the growth of bacteria and mold, and Houston has experienced very warm, humid spells and cold snaps in the months since.
Vazquez of Latin Specialties is particularly worried about the effect weather extremes are having on his growers. “When it comes to insects, pests, and plant disease, climate change is definitely not helping,” he observes. “Look at what happened with Costa Rican pineapples in 2016; hot and humid conditions at production sites created favorable conditions for pests to grow.”
