Why haul Reefer?

You're right. For company drivers it is often more advantageous to do dry van. Perhaps the average length of haul is longer.

 

Stinky dick!

 

Length of haul and the ability to haul both types of freight when freight starts to slow down. I mean, I can haul a 53' trailer load of ice cream(or french fries or ???..), or, I can haul a 53' trailer of dog food...the only time you can haul ice cream in a van is at night up in northern ND and MT when temps are as low as they are right now. And, I can haul regular food items that need to be kept from freezing during the extreme low temperatures.

You're right about the pay...but some companies that have both divisions pay their reefer drivers a little more for the extra babysitting and hassles.

The last company I drove for had dry vans. And during the winter, they had portable propane radiant heaters they would send with drivers going to the NW. On occasion we would pick up supersacks of onions, and the onion people wanted them kept from freezing, so at night during your break you would fire up the heater and leave it running in the trailer until you were ready to leave.

 

The downside about refers is you lose the weight capacity. Can't haul as much as a dry van.

I experienced long wait times for load/unloads when i first started OTR. In a van.

 

It depends on the equipment. My last company had the Cummins with DEF on their newest Prostars and they couldn't pull as much weight as I do with my current company in a 579 Pete with Trailmobile reefer trailers...but their dry vans weren't plate trailers. I was shocked to see how heavy their new trucks were.

 

Jerry Moyes bought the company and renamed it Central Refrigerated. There's still a few of those old trailers around with the skunk logo.

 

~2000 pounds