Reefer dispatch for loads that can't wait and can't warm up
A reefer earns more than most trailers and asks more of the driver: tight appointments, a unit to watch, food safety paperwork and lumpers at the dock. Our reefer dispatch desk finds refrigerated loads that fit your hours, checks the temperature terms before you see them, and lines up the reload while you're still cold. Every load is your call, and the rate con goes to you.
When a reefer sits, it costs twice: the truck isn't earning and the unit still needs fuel and maintenance. Planning is the whole game.
PICK YOUR TRUCK
Reefer
A refrigerated trailer with its own diesel cooling unit.
- FREIGHT
- Produce, meat, dairy, frozen food, pharmaceuticals
- CDL
- Yes
OUR FEE
5%
of gross (7% while your MC is under 6 months)
CH 02
Setpoints and the checklist before you roll
Pick the kind of freight and the dial turns to the temperature you should expect. Food safety guidance keeps refrigerated food at 40°F or below and frozen food at 0°F or below Food Freezing Guide (FN612)NDSU Extension (citing FDA and USDA guidance), 2024. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. For everything else, the only number that counts is the one on the shipper's instructions and the bill of lading.
Most reefer claims start before the truck moves: a unit set to the wrong temperature, in the wrong mode, or a trailer that wasn't pre-cooled. Work through the checklist on every load. It takes five minutes and it's the cheapest insurance a reefer driver has, especially on a load worth more than the truck that pulls it.
One habit worth building: photograph the unit display at pickup and again at delivery. If the receiver says the load arrived warm, a clear photo and your unit's download are what protect you.
CH 03
Reefer dispatch costs 5% of gross
Our charge for a single reefer, once the authority is six months old, is 5% of every hauled load's gross. Newer MCs pay 7% until month six, and two or more reefers get 4% under the fleet offer while it's open.
The fee is a percent of the gross on the rate con. Lumper reimbursements and detention we recover are shown separately in your weekly report. You can test any of these numbers on the dispatch costs page.
Reefer fuel adds up on long runs and long waits. Price a trip before you take it with the trip fuel cost calculator, and count the unit's fuel separately from the truck's.
Running more than one reefer? The fleet rate applies to every truck once your authority passes six months, and planning several reefers together lets us spread trucks across produce regions instead of sending them all to the same busy market.
CH 04
Reefer checklist: what brokers and receivers expect
Before you're set up
- Cargo coverage that includes reefer breakdown and spoilage. Many brokers check for it specifically.
- A unit that downloads temperature history, and a record of recent service.
- A clean trailer that can pass a washout check for food loads, with washout receipts kept.
- Load locks or bars, and pallet jack access if the receiver expects it.
On every load
- Setpoint, mode and any special instructions written on the BOL.
- Seal number on the paperwork and the seal left intact until delivery.
- Temperatures noted at pickup and delivery, and the download saved.
- Lumper receipts kept for reimbursement.
Reefer freight has less room for mistakes than dry freight. A late dry van load is a problem; a late load of strawberries can be a claim. Receivers on grocery and food loads often run strict appointment windows and can refuse a load that arrives late or outside the temperature range.
That's why we plan reefer weeks around appointments, not just miles. We look at dock times, the receiver's reputation for waits, and how much of your clock the trip will really take. When an appointment is unrealistic for your hours, we say so before you accept, not after you're loaded.
Reefers can also haul dry freight with the unit off, which is useful for a backhaul when the cold market is thin. Our page on dry van dispatch covers that side of the market.
CH 05
A reefer offer, temperature terms included
Every reefer offer from us includes the setpoint, continuous or cycle mode, appointment times, whether lumper fees are reimbursed and whether detention is written on the rate con. Try the example: a produce load with an early pickup and a long drive.
Produce lanes move with the seasons, and many of them run out of farm regions in the West. If you run the coast, our page on West Coast dispatch covers the lanes and the California rules.
Reefer seasons and where the freight moves
Reefer freight follows what's growing and what people are eating. Produce shifts by region through the year, which changes where loads start and how much competition there is for trucks. Holidays pull meat, dairy and frozen food through distribution centers ahead of time. Warm months add temperature-sensitive freight that rides cold only in summer, like some candy and beverages.
For a reefer owner-operator, that means the best lanes in one season may be weak in the next. We track what's moving in your lanes and tell you when it's worth chasing freight in another region for a few weeks, and when staying close to home makes more sense.
These are broad patterns, not forecasts, and your lanes matter more than the national picture.
The trade-off for reefer carriers is between chasing and settling. Chasing the season means long runs to wherever produce is moving, with good rates and long weeks away. Settling means staying in a region with steady food distribution freight, lower peaks and more predictable home time. Neither is wrong. Tell us which one you want and we plan around it, and change it any time your life changes.
Reefer mistakes that turn into claims
- Trusting the setpoint on the phone. Set the unit to the number on the BOL, and if the BOL and rate con disagree, stop and ask before you leave.
- Running low on reefer fuel. A long wait at the receiver with an empty tank can warm a load. Fuel the unit with the truck.
- Skipping pre-cool. Loading cold freight into a warm trailer puts the unit behind before you leave the dock.
- Losing the receipts and downloads. No lumper receipt, no reimbursement. No temperature record, no defense against a claim.
- Taking appointments you can't make. A late reefer load can be refused. Plan with your real hours, not a best-case drive.
What the desk handles on a reefer week
Appointment math
We check each appointment against your hours and the real drive before an offer reaches you, and push back on windows that can't be made legally.
Lumpers and detention
We confirm reimbursement terms in writing, log your dock times, and chase the money when a broker is slow to pay it back.
The next cold load
We look for the reload while you're still loaded, because a reefer sitting empty in a weak market is the most expensive truck on the lot.
CH 06
Reefer dispatch questions
CH 01How much does reefer dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one reefer with authority older than six months, 7% while the MC is newer, and 4% for fleets of two or more trucks on the limited-time fleet rate. No setup fee, no minimum and no charge for loads you turn down. Cancel with 30 days notice.
CH 02What is a reefer trailer?
A refrigerated trailer with its own diesel-powered cooling unit mounted on the front. It keeps freight at a set temperature, cold or warm, for the whole trip. Reefers haul produce, meat, dairy, frozen food, beverages, flowers and pharmaceuticals, and they can also carry dry freight when the unit is off.
CH 03Do reefer loads pay more?
Reefer loads often pay more than comparable dry van loads, because the trailer costs more to buy and run, the unit burns its own fuel, and the freight carries more risk and tighter appointments. Whether a given load pays enough depends on the lane, the season and the time you'll spend at docks, so judge each one by its all-in rate per mile.
CH 04Can a new MC get reefer loads?
Yes, though some brokers ask new reefer carriers for extra proof, such as cargo coverage that includes spoilage, a working temperature recorder and references. Have those ready and we'll start with brokers that work with new authorities. Food loads reward carriers who are on time and careful with paperwork, so the first few loads matter.
CH 05Who pays lumper fees?
Usually the receiver or shipper, through the broker. On many grocery and food deliveries, you pay the lumper at the dock and get reimbursed. Get a receipt every time and make sure the rate con lists lumper fees as reimbursable. We check that before you accept and chase the reimbursement if it's slow.
Keep your reefer cold and moving
Tell us your lanes, your unit and how often you want to be home. We'll check every temperature term before you see the offer, and every load waits for your yes.