Is reefer worth it?

I thought the reefer was white noise and actually helped with sleep. I know some folks don't see it that way, especially non-reefer drivers parked next to one. When I asked my trainer about why some people park with their back end facing out, he said it was to avoid being next to a reefer unit.

If there were multiple spaces open (often the case during the day) I'd try to park next to another reefer. Now if somebody comes along and parks next to me after I'm parked...that's on them.

 

The noise off the reefer isint bad at all. When I pulled them it was before APU's. ( mid 90's-2003) They were much louder, but didnt bother me at all. So with the new quiet ones, you will be good. I think APU is louder, again, no big deal. Other pros with reefer is what others said, steady freight, everyone has to eat. Running nights most of the time. I enjoyed that, less traffic and BS. You can also take your 10 at the dock. Con's, Waiting times can be long, shippers and grocery warehouses just suck 99% of the time. They all hate that you showed up.

I had some fun pulling reefer back in the day. I wouldnt do it again. Went to flats and never looked back.

 

just thinking about purchase a used reefer, I have been doing intermodal for 1 year, now it is completely died. as o/o I only make $2000 weekly, deducted fuel and insurance , there is nothing left.

 

Where is intermodal "completely dead"...?

-- Lual

 

#### sure not in the NE EVERY cold storage I frequent is inundated with containers

 

Be careful and get a good unit. Sucks to write a check when food gets rejected for being out of temp.

 

I am new on here and I am in florida. I have a reefer and am looking for loads. Any good dispatcher you can recommend?

 

I never had any problem sleeping with the reefer running as far as the noise goes, in fact the noise would put me into a deep sleep like nothing else. What would wake me up is the vibration from when the motor started, I got a pro tip to drop the landing gear, unhook, and pull forward just enough so that the trailer is no longer in contact with the 5th wheel. Wow, it made a gigantic difference for me.

 

The advantage of Reefer is you can cart both dry and chilled produce, so much more opportunities of getting a load, which means more miles on the road and if your on a milage rate you'll of course make more money. A reefer will weigh more so you won't go much more than 42 000 lb maybe 43 000 lb at most. Summer months in particular can be a busy time, due to more chilled produce in demand like ice cream etc etc, all your fresh fruits, cheese, milk, meat has to be chilled or frozen the disadvantage with frozen though is most despatchers either want to pre-chill your fridge van to below 5 Fahrenheit before it is loaded or alternatively bring it back down to that temp after it's loaded before they let you depart. Unfortunately, most reefers are not designed for frozen freight and therefore it can be a hard task getting temps down that low. Which means more time wasted while you try and get your reefer temps down, other issues you may have is when you park up at a truck stop with the motor running however most trucks are left running anyway so why should a reefer be any different? As far as fuel goes generally you won't have to top it up like you would your truck, if I pick a trailer up that I have not hauled before I'll always top it up to be sure, but it will generally be good for a trip of around 900 miles. For longer runs yes I'd top it up every 36 hours if its been running constantly. Wintertime can be fun specially once the fridge motor is turned off, and the trailer sits, so be sure to put some antifreeze fuel additive in you fridge motor fuel tank every trip during the colder months. If your running below (south) of the I - 40 this will not be a problem. As far as sleeping goes I never had a problem with a motor running continuously, its only when its off and on, that it can irritate but each is different, what one person can tolerate, another may very well have an issue with.

 

How long does it take for a trailer to get down to 5F in summertime?