On this edition of DAT Guy with Dean Croke on Road Gang Radio, host Jimmy Mac and Dean dive into why the 2025 produce season fizzled—especially in California and Florida—and what that means for dry van and reefer rates across the country. They unpack how shifting consumer habits, including the rise of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, are quietly reshaping freight demand, slashing grocery spending, and reducing overall food consumption—potentially cutting hundreds of thousands of truckloads from the market.

Dean also digs into the latest on U.S. manufacturing: while there’s a slight uptick in June, uncertainty from tariffs, geopolitical instability, and stalled demand continues to weigh down production and planning.

With produce volumes falling, reefer rates hitting decade-lows, and labor shortages on California farms due to immigration crackdowns, Dean connects the dots on how macro trends are stacking up to make this one of the strangest summers yet in freight.