Do truckers need much bagged ice?

You can't lose

 

Yes, that's a good price for frozen water...

 

So, I'm a former driver, and coincidentally, my last driving job was for a 'bagged ice' distributor here in upstate NY (you'd be surprised how much ice the Amish buy in September and October...). Back when I drove OTR, I would occasionally carry a cooler. I hated using ice because of the mess it makes when it melts, so I modified a cooler so that I ran a flexible pipe straight to my A/C box and thereby never needed ice all summer long...
Today, with all the small 12v coolers available, I'd think that needing ice would be only an occasional thing.

On a side note, 50+ years ago, truckstops were major locations for ice houses, due to the fact that a lot of produce was hauled in trailers lacking a reefer unit; companies would buy insulated-only trailers, use them for dry freight most of the time, then around harvest time carry produce which they kept cold by icing them. The technique was to cover the hoppers of produce with a burlap cover, then spray shaved ice over the top of everything, and re-ice it every 12 hours or so. The ice-sprayer was a device which took a big block of ice, and acted kinda like a wood-chipper. Also, there might be an icebox at the front, where a certain number of large ice blocks were put, with a fan blowing over them. Drain holes in the floor allowed the melt water to drip out. This was technology borrowed straight from the railroads in the late 1800's, and was still in usage up until the early 80's. There used to be literally dozens of places along just US1 like this, and I'm certain they were all over the western desert states as well.

 

I've purchased 3 bags in the last 7 days, but now we're in a much warmer climate.

Warm weather can use up a bag a day, even in the climate controlled truck.

 

That brought back some memories. Over in one corner of our yard is an old building that was an ice house years ago. We use it for storage now but it was a going concern back in the sixties and early seventies.. It still has the old conveyors, grinding machine, and hoses from when the produce trucks would stop in and ice down with blown ice flakes. . I forget how big the blocks were but when they'd go through the grinder you could feel the vibrations in the ground clear across a forty acre yard.

 

Truckers that buy ice usually buy it all year not just in the summertime.