Truck rates are 70% higher than they were a year ago in parts of the country, and produce industry officials don’t expect those rates to fall anytime soon. Demand is high and truck shortages have been confirmed in several key produce-growing states. That’s got prices jumping; the cost to get a semi-load of produce from Southern California to Chicago, for example, is from $7,500 to $8,600 right now compared to $3,800 to $4,700 a year ago. Demand, a general shortage of drivers and produce processing delays have contributed to the situation. Those factors are likely to remain a issues as the U.S. enters the summer season when demand rises for refrigerated trucks. See more on the situation.