Reefer verses Van

Earplugs are nice. Waking up to the 'reefer starting every hour, or less, is jarring if you haven't gotten used to it already.

(Lived next to a 'reefer, now in a truck with a 'reefer.)

 

First of all, you never, never bring a loaded reefer home!!! Most companies are against you bringing a loaded reefer home. Because of the reefer possibly cutting off without you knowing it and ruining products and for isurance purposes and possibly having the truck & load stolen.

Second reefer is not seasonal. You run all year around. Dry van is slow in January & February. Put like this everyone has to eat??? People don't eat seasonally everyone eats every day??

 

if reefer is not seasonal maybe farmers/shippers just go on long vacation in florida in ougust/September or California in winter, texas in September

 

I wasn't talking about reefer rates vs van rates. Reefer almost always pays better than van, it's more specialized. I was talking about putting van loads in a reefer as another poster suggested. Not every shipper that moves dry freight will load their product in a reefer.

 

It usually comes down to either they need the extra space a van has. Reefer have less cubic feet inside them due to the insulation. Or they need the extra weight a van can carry. And then sometimes, they had a reefer show up smelling of spoilt chicken so decide they just won't load them anymore.

 

Why wouldn't you bring it home? That load is a just as safe in my drive way, if not more so, than sitting in some truck stop.

 

It's more complicated than just clean. There are some products, certain sugars and other ingredient blends that can't be shipped on a reefer due to the humidity they have even when not running. nobody likes rock hard sugar.

 

Based out of NW,I pull a reefer.Easy loading out of NW (produce,seafood),pretty decent rate,but on my way back,I wish I would have a van…more room,more weight….

If I had a van,I'd stick with it…reefers are expensive,if you want to get a good one and if you have a breakdown ,it's an effing disaster,loose the trip pay+$2500 insurance deductible…also reefer loads are more strict about appts,I hate night ones!

 

I used to deliver for a local food distribution company in NJ. If I was in NY and we had a load at Domino, both Yonkers and Brooklyn, I'd go with a reefer, and I saw plenty of reefers, but the truth was it was mostly CPUs, so they would load them, even if the reefer smelled. One old timer tried to tell one of the grocery haulers how to get rid of the smell. Instead of saying thanks, but I get different smelly trailers each day, and it's not worth spreading coffee on each, this guy showed everybody his colorful language. Old timer pointed out this is why drivers don't help each other any more.

 

I don't know if you even drive for a company that pulls reefers. If you do next time you pickup a load ask the shipper that ships meat, produce, or milk products if it is OK to take the load home and while your at it ask you dispatcher/DM! 99.9% of time they ask you do want to keep you job!!!!

Also keep this in mind. What if you start having problems with the reefer? Is easier for reefer mechanic to repair the reefer at a truckstop then at your house! Also think about the liability if the load is ruin or gets stolen while load is setting in your driveway who does that fall under???