Texas Reefer Hits $3.22/mi as McAllen Pulls Capacity From Both Coasts — Salinas Peak Still Two Weeks Out.
Outbound McAllen reefer just printed $3.22/mi on a 7-day weighted DAT average — the highest May number since 2018. The pull is so strong that California and Florida reefer carriers are repositioning into South Texas at a pace that's starting to drain the West Coast supply ahead of the Salinas peak. Three lanes to watch.
McAllen → Atlanta reefer broke $3.22/mi on the DAT 7-day average this week, up from $3.05 last Friday and the highest May print on record. The McAllen → Chicago reefer corridor is now at $3.41/mi. Outbound McAllen load-to-truck has compressed to 7.8 — the kind of number you see for two or three weeks at the peak of a hot produce cycle, not in week one.
The pull is broader than South Texas. California reefer carriers are repositioning into McAllen at a pace that's draining the West Coast pre-Salinas-peak inventory. Three of the top 10 reefer-heavy carriers we track confirmed this week they've moved 80-150 power units each from CA to TX in the past 14 days to chase the McAllen premium. That's roughly 350-450 reefer tractors that won't be in California when Salinas berries and Watsonville strawberries peak in 10-14 days.