Reefer dispatch that checks the setpoint before the rate
SETPOINT · MODE · APPOINTMENT · THEN RATE
An example produce week
How a reefer week goes right, or wrong
An illustration built from common patterns, not a real carrier. It shows where reefer money is made and lost: at the shed, at the dock and in the reload.
Monday
Loads produce at a shipping shed. Pulp temperatures checked and noted before the doors close. Setpoint and mode on the bill of lading match the load details.
Tuesday
Delivery appointment pushed back four hours by the receiver. Detention clock started after the free time and the broker notified.
Wednesday
Unloads with a lumper. Receipt photographed and sent to the desk for reimbursement.
Thursday
Reload already lined up out of a region that's shipping, planned before Tuesday's delivery.
The difference between a good and a bad reefer week is rarely the linehaul rate. It's whether the waiting got paid, whether the paperwork protects you if something goes wrong, and whether the next load was waiting.
Notice what the desk did and didn't do in that week. We set up the load, started the detention claim and lined up the reload. The driver ran the unit, checked the product and kept the receipt. That split is the same on every reefer load we bring you.
Load check simulator
Pick a commodity, see what we check
Choose a product to see its approximate lowest safe transport temperature from published guidance, the operating mode, an EXAMPLE trip trace with a door-open spike and recovery, and the checklist we run on the load details before it ever reaches your phone.
- Lowest safe in transit
- 0°F or below
- Mode
- Per shipper
Frozen product should be carried at 0°F or below. Many shippers set a lower setpoint; follow the BOL.
Trip trace EXAMPLE
LOAD · PRECOOL RECOVERY · DOOR OPEN AT STOP (ORANGE) · RECOVERY · DELIVERY
What we confirm before the load reaches you
- Setpoint written on the bill of lading
- Mode: per shipper
- Product temperature at pickup (pulp check for produce)
- Appointment time and the receiver's dock hours
- Detention terms on the rate con
- Lumper terms and who pays
What stays with you
- Precool the trailer and run the unit
- Check product temperature at pickup
- Keep the download and paperwork
- Refuse to roll if the BOL setpoint is wrong
Lowest safe temperatures: UF/IFAS HS1328, Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck or Rail (Brecht et al.), revision of USDA Agriculture Handbook 669. These are not setpoints. The setpoint on the bill of lading always wins, and the carrier operates the unit.
Source: UF/IFAS HS1328, Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck or Rail (Brecht et al.), revision of USDA Agriculture Handbook 669, October 2026
Reefer freight we find
Refrigerated truck dispatch by commodity
Each commodity group asks something different of the unit and the driver. These figures are approximate lowest safe transport temperatures from published guidance, not setpoints. The setpoint on the bill of lading always wins.
| Commodity | Lowest safe in transit | Mode | What we check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen food | 0°F (-18°C) or below | Per shipper | Setpoint on BOL, product frozen at pickup |
| Bananas | 55°F (12.8°C) | Continuous | No colder than the BOL; chilling risk |
| Tomatoes | 55°F (12.8°C) | Continuous | Chilling-sensitive; follow the BOL |
| Hass avocados | 40°F (4.4°C) | Continuous | Ripeness stage on the paperwork |
| Oranges (CA/AZ) | 38°F (3.3°C) | Continuous | Origin and setpoint on the BOL |
| Potatoes | 38°F (3.3°C) | Continuous | Tablestock vs seed instructions |
Source: UF/IFAS HS1328, Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck or Rail (Brecht et al.), revision of USDA Agriculture Handbook 669, October 2026
Continuous run mode for fresh produce, chilled meat and other temperature-sensitive cargo; start-stop mode should not be used for fresh produce. Meat, dairy and pharmaceutical loads carry their own instructions from the shipper, and pharma often comes with extra documentation. See our pharmaceutical reefer guide and the temperature guide by commodity.
Protecting you from claims
Documentation is your best defense
The carrier operates the unit and owns cargo claims. We can't hold the temperature for you, but we make sure you have the records that show you did.
Pulp checks at pickup
Probe the product before you load and write the readings on the bill of lading. Warm product loaded is a problem you inherit.Setpoint and mode on the BOL
If the setpoint isn't written down, ask for it. If it's wrong for the product, don't roll until it's corrected.Keep the download
Your unit's temperature record is the evidence in a rejection. Know how to pull it and keep it with the load file.Precool and run continuous for produce
Precool the trailer, load product that's already cold, and run continuous mode for fresh produce.
Perishables should already be at or very near their carrying temperature when loaded; the trailer should be precooled. Read the temperature excursion checklist and our study of reefer load rejections.
Reefer dispatcher money work
Detention, layover and lumpers at cold docks
Reefer waits cost more than dry waits because the unit burns fuel the whole time. That makes the terms on the rate con worth more too.
Detention
Free time and the hourly rate after it, on the rate con before you accept. We log your times and file the claim.Layover
When a receiver pushes delivery to the next day, layover pays for the night and the reefer fuel it burns.Lumpers
Who pays the unloading fee and how you get it back. Send the receipt; we chase the reimbursement.
Estimate what a wait costs with the detention pay calculator, and the unit's fuel with the reefer fuel burn calculator.
The second fuel bill
Reefer fuel: the cost most rates forget
A reefer burns fuel twice: once in the truck and once in the unit. The unit runs while you drive, while you sleep, and while you wait at a dock for five hours. A load that pays well per mile can lose money if the wait is long and the unit runs the whole time. That's why we count expected dwell time in every reefer offer and push for detention and layover terms that cover the unit's fuel, not just your time.
Continuous mode, which fresh produce needs, burns more than cycle mode. Frozen loads in very hot weather work the unit harder. Estimate your own numbers with the reefer fuel burn calculator and read what reefer fuel is.
Between seasons
Hauling dry freight in a reefer
A reefer can haul dry freight with the unit off, and many shippers are glad to have one. When produce slows in your region, dry loads keep the truck moving and can reposition you toward the next harvest. Some shippers even prefer reefers for products that need protection from heat without strict temperature control. We include dry loads in your search when they fit, so a slow produce week doesn't become an empty one.
Seasons
Reefer freight follows the harvest
Produce volume moves across the country through the year as harvests start and end in different regions. Carriers who follow it see more loads and better rates; carriers who stay put see the board go quiet. We plan your loads toward the regions that are shipping, a week ahead, and warn you before a region winds down.
See the produce season calendar and the produce season finder. Between seasons, reefers can haul dry freight too, which keeps the truck moving when produce slows.
Multi-temp and reefer box
Multi-temp trailers and 26 ft reefer boxes
Multi-temp trailers
Bulkheads split the trailer into zones for frozen, chilled and dry product on one grocery run. We check each zone's setpoint against the load and plan stops so doors open as little as possible.
26 ft reefer box trucks
Regional food distribution to restaurants and stores, often multi-stop. Billed at 7% like other 26 ft box trucks. See 26 ft box truck dispatch.
Avoid these
Where reefer owners lose money
Loading warm product
A reefer holds temperature; it doesn't pull it down fast. Warm product loaded is a rejection waiting to happen. Probe and note it.Long waits with no terms
Five hours at a grocery DC with the unit running and no detention on the rate con is lost fuel and lost time.Staying put when the season moves
When the harvest leaves your region, rates follow it. Plan the move a week ahead.No download when it matters
If you can't pull the unit's record, you can't prove the temperature held. Know how before you need it.
Getting set up
What brokers check on a reefer carrier
Food shippers and reefer brokers ask more than general freight brokers. Having these ready speeds up every setup.
- Active authority and cargo coverage sized to food loads
- Reefer breakdown coverage on the cargo policy
- Trailer length, unit make and whether you can run multi-temp
- Ability to pull a temperature download on request
- Washout records when a load requires a clean trailer
- Food safety practices for loading and sanitation
EXAMPLE week
What a reefer week can look like on paper
An illustration of a West-to-Southwest produce loop with detention and a lumper claimed, not a promise of lanes or rates.
Weekly settlement
EXAMPLE| Lane | Loaded | Empty | Linehaul | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas, CA > Phoenix, AZ | 712 | 24 | $2,150 | $200 |
| Phoenix, AZ > Dallas, TX | 1065 | 30 | $2,300 | - |
| Dallas, TX > Laredo, TX | 430 | 20 | $900 | $150 |
| Laredo, TX > Los Angeles, CA | 1360 | 15 | $3,400 | - |
- GROSS
- $9,100
- ALL-IN RPM
- $2.49
- FEE 5%
- $455
- YOU KEEP
- $8,645
Your call, every load
How a reefer load reaches you, and what it costs
Every load comes to you with the product, setpoint, mode, weight, pickup and delivery appointments, detention and lumper terms, and pay. You say yes or no; nothing is booked without your yes. On a yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation to you, and you check that the setpoint and terms match before you sign. The fee is 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than 6 months, 7% for newer authorities and 4% for fleets.
Read the reefer guide, how reefer loads are dispatched, reefer rates, refrigerated freight and reefer loads and load boards. New MC? See new authority dispatch. Need faster pay? See reefer factoring. Compare fees on the pricing page.
Reefer dispatcher: straight answers
Q01How much does reefer dispatch cost?
Q02Do you find produce loads?
Q03Who pays lumper fees?
Q04How do you handle detention on reefer loads?
Q05What happens if a load is rejected for temperature?
Q06Do you dispatch multi-temp trailers?
Q07Can a new MC get reefer loads?
Setpoint checked. Detention claimed. Your call.
Apply in about 2 minutes.
Load offer · 53 ft dry van
Joliet, IL Columbus, OH
- RATE
- $1,050
- MILES
- 352+18
- ALL-IN RPM
- $2.84
- Freight: Paper goods, 38,500 lb
- Pickup: Tue 07:00-09:00 · Deliver: Tue 17:00 appt
- Detention $50/hr after 2 hrs
- Lumper reimbursed with receipt