How do refers make good money?

If you're a company driver you want to do the exact opposite of what an o/o does to make money with a reefer. If you're a driver you want the long runs where you can just drive. One pick, one drop. That's what you want to avoid if you own the truck.

 

Yes their are good jobs pulling a reefer. But, we are in the new drivers forum and I am trying to talk in general. In general most reefer loads are of shorter miles and suck up the drivers time with unpaid detention at the dock.

Now the new driver will likely hear something to the affect, 'that people have to eat so reefer work is study and in demand.' I am just saying that is most likely not true in the case of the newbie. Sure and experienced driver can work his way into a food delivery, grocery owned, or pharmaceutical gig that does well. But most reefer loads at a mega are not worth the time of day.

 

I disagree about most reefer loads being shot haul. Produce from West o East, Meat from the center out, and dairy going all over is perishable and can not be put on trains. I haul produce East atnleat twice a month from Call to NJ and NY. 3000+ mile loads. 4 days of just driving, no sitting in docks.

I run all manner of things West, but in my experience reefer loads are generally longer than dry van.

Have you ever see how many conrltainers are on a train? That's dry freight

 

Great post.

Have a Plan, WORK the Plan.

When I got back into trucking a few years ago, I went with Swift for a couple of years. I knew going in that it wouldn't be the best pay, but I had a plan. By the time I left Swift I had a great record to show a new employer: 100% on time and a year as a trainer. That really helped getting my gig running in the oil fields.

You have to start somewhere. Make it count. Have a plan.

 

Call Calex in Pittston Pa.
2 west coast trips per month.
2800 miles x 4 per month

 

Avoid the short runs, too much time on a dock, coast to coast is $$$$$.

 

I haul reefers and 3k miles per week is the average. If I go home that week, still end up with 2k.

The better you know how to use your HOS to your advantage and communicating your availability to your DM the better your miles will be. If I have a 3am appt, and plan on driving straight through, I'll let my dm know that my pta will be for 1pm. If I get there early, and take a break before the appt, I'll set my pta for 6am.

On my last load of the week and will turn in 3433 miles this week.

 

Everybody has their own experience that will be unique to their region and company, no matter what type of freight they haul.

But FYI - there are both reefer rail cars and reefer intermodal containers out there for certain long-haul and international temperature-controlled freight. Trains aren't solely for dry freight.

 

Whle true experiences are unique, that does not change certain facts, and reefers having a longer average length of haul is one of those.

Those Refrigerated rail cars haul frozen products mainly. Perishables have a shelf life, and the longer it takes to get them to the vendor, the shorter time it has to be sold. Putting perishables on trains adds two to three days to the transit time and shortens the shelf life.

Produce and Meat are the two big ones and many companies want teams to do the cross country produce runs because of the time factor. Meat comes from the center of the country to both coasts. Not a lot of room for a heard of cattle in Brooklyn. That's anywhere from 1000 to 1500 miles or more per load.

The next time you see a freight train going by, count the number of containers you see, dry, Refrigerated, the number of trailers you see piggy backed and the number of rail cars both dry and reefer and let me know if you find one that is not mainly, in a very large way, dry freight.

 

I agree. I was just noticing a pattern of people insisting reefer is mostly short haul and others insisting it was long haul. It depends on where you're at, who you work for, and what products they haul or who their major accounts are with.

The thing I said about temp-controlled on rails was just an FYI because it sounded like you were saying trains were exclusively dry freight in your prior post.

 

I made good money pulling refer, yes i was sitting alot, but i managed my time right and stayed rolling. It all depends on who you drive for, i was with a 25 truck company, i kept the same trailer, i was getting anywhere from 2800-3400 miles weekly. Made about 1200-1400 weekly. I dont miss the lazy lumpers though