Advice for (potentially) switching to reefers?

For what it’s worth staying for three yours your leaving 20 to 50 grand on the table vs leaving after a year. It’s your life though.

 

Running reefers can be great or a nightmare depending on the company you're with. Since you're with SWIFT, expect a lot of night pickups, deliveries and driving overnight. Your sleep schedule will be all over the place, and you'll spend many hours just sitting and waiting at shippers and receivers and not getting paid very much for it.

Operating a reefer is easy. You'll have the hang of it in one day.

 

Yeah, reefer alot less drop n hook, all night runs, midnight deliveries, more lumpers and pallet breakdowns, not to mention washouts and reefer issues. 6 years pulling reefer was enough for me.

 

Depends on the company and what you will find is it really depends on the customers you have to deal with.
Deliveries to places like Associated Warehouse Grocery, SuperValu, PFG, and some Walmarts are the places that will have ready to just quit for good.
Also fresh produce to certain locations like Chicago Produce Market and Hunts Point Produce will have you question your sanity.

Dot foods is a great place to work at. I think you can only live 100 miles from the terminal.

 

After spending 3 years with Swift you'll get the sympathy from all recruiters that's for sure don't think it'll be an issue the only thing is choosing the best company to go to, and learning how to sleep with a reefer running right behind your sleeper cab.

 

Are you looking to do OTR reefer with swift? I currently am getting my experience in that division to go to van kampen , coastal carriers , or Holland .

 

Get out on the west coast if you want longer runs. The east coast is full of 500-300 mile runs. The noise isn't a problem, just be sure to wash out reefer before picking up loads go to a blue beacon . There will be night time appointments and long load unload times. Not much drop and hook. It's not too common that you have to swing your sleep schedule but it does happen. I personally hate dry van and wouldn't go back , IV also hauled flatbed for swift.