Freight seasonality calendar: what moves when, for every type of truck
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Freight seasonality follows four drivers: produce (reefers, building from spring to a summer peak), construction weather (flatbed, dump and oversize, spring through fall), retail (dry van, peaking from late summer through the holidays) and holidays (slow docks around them). January and February are the slowest stretch for many carriers. Plan cash, maintenance and lanes around it.
Every year has the same shape, even if the details move. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. Our desk dispatches all eleven equipment types, and each one has its own calendar. This page puts them side by side, with the compliance dates that land in the same months, so you can plan before the season arrives instead of reacting to it.
The four seasons of freight
Produce. Reefer freight follows the harvest. Winter crops ship from southern growing areas, and volume builds through spring, peaking in many regions in late spring and summer, before fall harvest crops and holiday food carry it into the end of the year. For current shipments by area, USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service publishes Market News reports.
Construction. Flatbed, step deck, hotshot, dump truck and oversize work follows the building season. In cold states it slows sharply in winter and opens up as the ground thaws. Spring thaw also brings seasonal weight restrictions on some northern roads; check the state DOT before you route heavy.
Retail. Dry van and power only freight builds as imports arrive for back-to-school and the holidays, peaks in the fall, and tapers in December. January brings returns and restocking, then a quiet stretch.
Holidays. Shippers and receivers close or run short-staffed around major holidays, and many states restrict oversize moves on holiday weekends. Expect slower docks the week of Thanksgiving and the last week of December.
The calendar
Pick your equipment to highlight what usually moves, and see the fixed dates for each month:
Freight and compliance, month by month
January
- Post-holiday lull after peak; returns and restocking
- Winter produce from southern growing areas
- Slow in cold states; ground freezes
- Heating fuel and propane demand high
- IFTA Q4 return due Jan 31
February
- Often the slowest stretch of the year
- Southern produce continues
- Building materials start to stir in the South
- Heating season continues
March
- Spring construction and building materials pick up
- Season opens as frost lifts; road restrictions in some northern states
- Spring produce begins moving north
- Spring fertilizer and ag chemicals begin
- Spring thaw road restrictions in some northern states
April
- Construction season building
- Spring moves and retail resets
- Produce volume growing
- Ag chemical season
- Construction projects open up
- IFTA Q1 return due Apr 30
May
- Produce season in full swing in many regions
- Strong construction demand
- Many shippers move volume before Memorial Day
- Holiday travel restrictions around Memorial Day in many states
- CVSA International Roadcheck (2026: May 12-14)
June
- Peak produce in many growing areas
- Peak moving season
- Paving and site work busy
- Long daylight hours; peak project season
July
- Back-to-school and early holiday imports start
- Northern produce; heat raises reefer demand
- July 4 week slows pickups and receivers
- July 4 travel restrictions in many states
- CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week (2026: Jul 12-18)
- IFTA Q2 return due Jul 31
August
- Holiday inventory building at ports and DCs
- Construction still strong
- New model-year vehicles begin shipping
- Project season continues
- CVSA Brake Safety Week (2026: Aug 23-29)
- Form 2290 due Aug 31
September
- Fall harvest crops
- Retail peak building
- Labor Day week slows docks
- Labor Day travel restrictions in many states
October
- Retail peak season
- Fall harvest and holiday food
- Push to finish before winter in cold states
- Heating fuel and propane season starts
- IFTA Q3 return due Oct 31
- UCR registration for next year opens
November
- Holiday retail peak; Thanksgiving week closures
- Holiday food demand
- Final-mile and retail deliveries busy
- Thanksgiving travel restrictions in many states
- Heating fuel demand rising
December
- Peak tapers; many receivers close the last week
- Holiday food until mid-month
- Construction slows in the north
- Christmas and New Year travel restrictions in many states
- Peak heating season
- UCR for next year should be paid before Jan 1
Freight patterns are general and shift with weather, crops and the economy. Dates: IFTA quarterly returns (last day of the month after the quarter), IRS Form 2290 (Aug 31 for July use), UCR (registration year opens Oct 1), CVSA campaigns (check cvsa.org for next year's dates).
Enforcement weeks
CVSA runs three planned enforcement campaigns each year. Inspections go up, and some drivers take the week off, which can tighten capacity:
| Campaign | 2026 dates | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| International Roadcheck | May 12-14 | 72-hour inspection blitz, mostly Level I |
| Operation Safe Driver Week | July 12-18 | Unsafe driving by truck and car drivers |
| Brake Safety Week | August 23-29 | Brake inspections |
Source: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, program pages · checked 2026-10
CVSA announces each year's dates ahead of time. A clean truck doesn't need to hide from a blitz; fix defects before the week, not during it.
Compliance dates that don't move
- IFTA returns: due the last day of the month after each quarter: April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31. Our IFTA calculator helps with the math.
- Form 2290 (HVUT): due August 31 for trucks in use in July, for trucks at 55,000 lb taxable gross or more.
- UCR: registration for the next year opens October 1; pay before January 1.
- MCS-150 biennial update: the month depends on your USDOT number; see the new authority checklist.
Planning the slow season
- Build a cash reserve in the busy months. Two slow months on top of a repair bill is how small carriers get into trouble. Our maintenance reserve calculator shows how much to set aside per mile.
- Schedule maintenance for the slow weeks. Tires, brakes and the annual inspection fit better in February than in October.
- Widen your lanes before you need to. A broker relationship in a busier region is easier to build in advance.
- Watch where freight is moving. Reefers chasing produce and flatbeds following construction can find work while others sit.
- Price the reload in the busy season. Strong markets out, weak markets back: count the trip home.
Planning the busy season
- Book ahead on lanes you know will be tight.
- Hold your rate. When capacity is tight, the first offer usually isn't the best one.
- Watch your hours. Busy weeks tempt overrunning the clock; the hours of service guide covers the limits.
- Keep paperwork fast. More loads means more invoices; slow billing stretches cash flow just when fuel costs peak.
For finding freight in any season, see how to get loads, and for reefer-specific patterns, the reefer loads guide.