Currently pulling dry van.. I’m wondering what about Refrigerated

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Humbretrucking, Mar 7, 2021.

  1. Humbretrucking

    Humbretrucking Light Load Member

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    I’m based out of Florida I’m currently pulling dry van.. I’m wondering if reefer will be more beneficial and consistent instead of dry van.. If you are in Florida often then you understand the pattern I’m trying to create..


    I’m asking this because I’m planning to purchase a trailer so that I can stop being charged for the one I’m using. I just wanna know some options on dry van or refrigerated trailers.
     
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  3. rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

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    It's Florida, a reefer trailer ought to your primary money maker for the whole year. And yeah reefer consistently pays better than van, a lot better. If it doesn't you're not doing it right.
     
  4. Farmerbob1

    Farmerbob1 Road Train Member

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    You can haul most dry van loads in a reefer. The opposite is not true.

    If you tend to haul heavier dry loads, be careful how they load reefer trailers with those dry loads. The reefer unit and fuel shifts the weight forward on your drives a bit. Might need to have a single pallet in the nose of a load you could put side-by-side all the way back in a dry van.
     
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  5. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    There was a time when reefer paid more, but today, I wouldn't even waste my time. Let the megas haul their crappy strawberries. Stay with the van, and maybe get a cheap flatbed, just in case, but I pulled a lot of reefer, and I'd never do it again. While it's true, pulling a reefer MAY get you a bit more, but as mentioned, they weigh more and generally not preferred by van loaders, and to be honest, the places I went with a reefer were just the worst. SuperValu, Certified, just nightmares unloading. Good thing I was paid by the hour. Stay with the simple van, the south has lots of van freight.
     
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  6. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    I was a company driver for a reefer outfit and was never stuck in Florida.
    Always heard the nightmare stories of being stuck in Florida with no outbound freight, but never experienced that. The company used one particular broker and stuck with that one because the trucks were never stuck in Florida or California.
    Maybe running load boards are different; never had to deal with that.
     
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  7. 86scotty

    86scotty Road Train Member

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    If I lived in Fl I’d buy a reefer over a van. Produce is gonna be your best outbound freight meaning best paying.

    I’ve got a van and getting IN to Florida is never a problem.
     
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  8. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    That's right and sometimes there's dry loads available out of Florida such as "juicy-juice." So, pulling a reefer can get a dry load also.

    .[​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2021
    Speed_Drums and 86scotty Thank this.
  9. Dino soar

    Dino soar Road Train Member

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    You might do better because of your location with a reefer, but as far as I know the insurance is more expensive. There are more claims. There are more situations where you have a rejected load that you have to wait to see what's going to happen. Some products are exempt that you can't go after the Brokers Bond. Sometimes there are a long long long long long wait times...

    If you buy a reefer it should be new or next to New because if that engine craps out on you it's a big load of stuff you're in trouble... I sure that the reefer will cost more than a van...

    You get the idea.
     
  10. wichris

    wichris Road Train Member

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    Insurance is not very much for the reefer breakdown. Most claims/rejections come from the driver not paying attention/ignoring instructions.
     
  11. Brettj3876

    Brettj3876 Road Train Member

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    I would do reefer in that area. How far do you plan on running? I know a guy that moved to the Tampa area that used to haul flat bed and parked it for a reefer
     
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