Reefer vs. Dryvan

If your sitting in a dock, you're off duty because you're not doing anything. You might waste your 14 but if you plan good, you would had got to the customer overnight. Reefer drive night, they have lots of night appointment.

 

What you heard about reefer is correct.not to mention some of the backing is extremely tight.you deliver to alot of grocery warehouses.many receivers have lumpers and you could get in the dock say 2 am and could be 6 am before they touch your trailer and another few hours before your done.doesn't do any good to go find out why it's taking so long,they'll tell you they re under staffed.

 

Everybody always says that Reefer drivers drive nights.
It's very rare I drive at night.

 

If I said it once I said it 20 times. There are many types of reefer gigs and what you can expect will depend on who you are working for and what their customer and freight base is. It's not all the same and the experience can vary wildlly

I've done dry van, reefer, flatbed, and tanker and for ME reefer is what works and I'll likely not ever do anything else again. I'm too old to handle tarps and work out in the cold. Reefer is easy work, consistent work, and year round.

 

I pull a reefer, 100% live load/unload, and I do experience a lot of what you mention. I've never done dry van with the exception of occasional non-reefer loads so I don't have any insight on dry van full time compared to reefer. Maybe it's because I don't know what I'm missing that I keep doing reefer.lol
You have to be willing to be flexible. My appointments can be any time day or night. More often than not, what I pick up is during the day and deliveries are either very early am, like 3-6am or late evening like 9-11pm. If you want to wake up and go to sleep at the same time everyday, reefer probably isn't for you.

I run more during the day but I personally don't mind driving at night and the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes it's even preferable depending on the cities you have to run through. The only time night driving or late deliveries suck is when trying to find somewhere to park late at night. I'm not one of these drivers who will triple park next to the cat scale leaving only a narrow path for other trucks to get by, then close the curtains and sleep like a baby.

 

I did reefer 7 years and now doing dry van. I hope to never go reefer again. I was always running nights, unloading at midnite alot. Lumpers, lumpers, lumpers. Take forever. Less drop n hook with reefer. Breakdowns with reefer. Sitting for 12 hours on some farm waiting to get loaded with produce. Dry van for me just a cruising and making money. Now, if i was an o/o i would have a reefer trailer, but im just a lowly company driver. The pay has been the same for me.

 

Ok what's your secret,how do u get away with day driving?I've always had night appts.now dry van it was always starting around 4 am.my dispatchers knew what hrs I'm most productive so they found loads to fit my schedule.

 

Take nutrition supplements like truckers choice nutritionals turbo power or Bee Caps that some TA and Petro truck stops sell and a coffee. You never know when you will get tired

 

I do not do either anymore. Been a tanker tanker for 10 years now, but have done both. I, personally prefer reefer over dry fan. Just my preference. Worked for Shaffer Trucking from '04 to '06 pulling reefer. They have big customers with a lot of drop/hook. In the 2 years I worked for Shaffer, not once did I load produce., no multi-stop pickups and only one multi-stop delivery, that I can remember. To each his own. Everyone has different taste.