TraceDispatch

Link 01Reefer

Reefer dispatch that checks every temperature line on the rate con

A reefer load can pay well and still be the most expensive load of your year, if it's rejected and the paperwork can't show whose fault it was. Our reefer dispatch reads the temperature, unit mode, pre-cool, pulp and claims lines before you confirm, so the rate con protects you instead of surprising you.

Everything else works like the rest of our refrigerated truck dispatch: we find and negotiate the load, check the broker, send you the offer, and you decide. The broker sends the rate con to you and pays you directly.

Get my reefer bookedNo reefer surcharge. Same fee as every truck.

Lines we check on every reefer rate con

  • Set point matches the BOL
  • Continuous or start-stop, in writing
  • Pre-cool requirement
  • Pulp readings at pickup
  • Claims and rejection clause
  • Detention at the shed
  • Lumper method at the receiver

Link 02A rejected load, step by step

A hypothetical rejected load: Carrier B and five documents

EXAMPLE

Carrier B, a one-truck reefer operation, picks up a load of berries in the evening. The shed is running late, the product sat on the dock, and the driver takes pulp readings as the rate con asks: 39°F to 41°F against a 34°F set point. The driver writes the readings on the BOL, gets the shipper to sign it, photographs each pallet and calls dispatch before leaving. Two days later the receiver rejects the load for temperature.

The broker's first message points at the carrier. Then the documents come out, one at a time. This is the trail that decided it, in the order the questions were asked. Notice that every one of these documents was created before anyone knew there would be a problem. That's the point: you can't build this file after a rejection, only during the load.

  1. 01Rate confirmation34°F, continuousMatched the BOL. Set the standard both sides were held to.
  2. 02Bill of lading34°F, continuous; driver note: pulp 39°F to 41°FThe driver's note recorded warm product at loading, signed by the shipper.
  3. 03Pulp readings and photosFive pallets, photographed with timestampsShowed the product went on the truck above set point.
  4. 04Reefer unit downloadHeld 34°F within 1° continuous, door opened only at pickup and deliveryProved the trailer did its job the whole trip.
  5. 05Receiver rejection noticeProduct temperature out of rangeMatched the warm readings taken at pickup, not a unit failure.

With the download showing the trailer held set point and the signed BOL showing warm product at loading, the dispute moved away from Carrier B. Without those two documents, the same rejection could have landed on the carrier and its cargo insurer, with a deductible and a claim on the record.

Our job in a case like this is the paperwork before and after: making sure the rate con and BOL agree, reminding the driver to pulp and note, collecting the download and photos, and sending the broker a clear, dated file. Your cargo insurer and the broker decide the claim. Good documents decide how that conversation goes.

The habits that saved Carrier B

None of it was luck. The driver pre-cooled and noted the time. Pulped the product instead of trusting the shipper's word. Wrote the readings on the BOL before signing, and got the shipper's signature next to them. Took photos with timestamps. Called dispatch before leaving, so there was a dated record of the problem from the first hour. Kept the unit on continuous as the rate con said. Each of those steps takes minutes. Together they turned what could have been a five-figure claim into a dispute about the shipper's product. We remind drivers of every one of those steps on every reefer load.

Link 03Read a reefer rate con

Read an EXAMPLE reefer rate con the way we do

Tap or tab through the lines. Red marks are the ones we'd question before you confirm, with the exact ask we'd send the broker. Switch to plain English to see what each line means for you at the dock. Three of the six lines here would stop us from sending the offer until the broker fixes them.

RATE CONFIRMATION · REEFER · EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

Temperature

Check this against the BOL. If the shipper's paperwork says 36°F, stop and get one number in writing before loading.

What to ask for: Ask the broker to correct the rate con to match the BOL.

Not legal advice. Hover, tap or Tab through the fields.

More on what a dispatcher should check before you sign: the dispatcher's rate confirmation checklist.

Link 04What we confirm on every reefer load

What we confirm on every reefer load before it reaches you

Reefer freight adds a layer of questions a van load never asks. We get the answers from the broker in writing, so you're not discovering them at the shed at midnight.

If the broker can't answer, we say so in the offer. You decide whether an unknown is worth the rate. Some carriers refuse any load without a stated unit mode; others accept it on familiar lanes. Your rules, written down once, applied to every search.

What we ask about your truck

Brokers ask reefer carriers more questions than van carriers, so we keep the answers ready: the unit make and year, whether it can produce a download and how fast you can send it, trailer length, whether you can haul multi-temp, air ride, and whether your cargo policy covers reefer breakdown. Having those answers in the packet gets setups approved faster and keeps you from being offered loads your trailer can't legally or safely haul.

  • Set point and any allowed range, matching the BOL
  • Continuous or start-stop, and any pre-cool time
  • Whether pulping is allowed and expected at pickup
  • Seal requirements and who applies the seal
  • Product type, so you know how sensitive the load is
  • Shed or plant hours and how long loading usually takes
  • Detention start time and rate at shipper and receiver
  • Lumper payment method at the receiver
  • Claims language, read against your cargo coverage
  • Multi-stop or multi-temp details, if any

Link 05Produce season and reefer demand

Produce season and reefer demand

Reefer demand rises and falls with harvests. As crops come in across different growing regions through the year, reefer capacity gets pulled toward them, rates on those outbound lanes tend to move, and vans sometimes feel the squeeze as reefers take dry freight in slow weeks. Knowing which regions are shipping in which months helps us plan where your truck should be next.

We don't publish rate forecasts. For timing, our produce season finder shows when major commodities ship from each region, built from USDA data. Use it to plan your own positioning, or tell us which seasons you want to chase and which you'd rather avoid. Plenty of reefer owners stay off produce entirely and run grocery, dairy, meat or frozen loads, and we dispatch those just the same.

Planning reefer reloads

The best reefer weeks connect a protein or grocery load into a produce region at the right moment, then a produce load back out. The worst ones drop a reefer in a city that ships little temperature freight and leave it hauling dry loads at van rates. We plan two or three loads ahead with that in mind, counting the unit's fuel and the hours a shed might hold you. When there's no good reefer reload, we'll show you the dry options too, with the math, so you can choose between waiting, deadheading or hauling dry.

Link 06Fee and questions

What reefer dispatch costs

No reefer premium. The same three tiers apply to every truck type, as a percentage of the rate con gross on loads that deliver. Details on what we charge and the full flow on how we work.

  • 7%

    MC under 6 months

    of the rate con gross, any truck type

  • 5%

    MC 6+ months, 1 truck

    of the rate con gross, any truck type

  • 4%

    MC 6+ months, 2+ trucks

    of the rate con gross, any truck type

Ready to hand off the reefer desk? Apply for reefer dispatch and tell us your lanes, the products you'll haul and the ones you won't.

On the first call we also note your unit details and cargo coverage, so the packet answers brokers' reefer questions before they ask. Then we start with brokers already set up with you, add setups in your lanes, and send offers that list every temperature term up front.

Reefer dispatch: common questions

Questions carriers ask

How much does reefer dispatch cost?
The same percentage as every other truck type: 7% of the rate con gross while your MC is under 6 months, 5% after, and 4% per truck for fleets of two or more. Lumper reimbursements are excluded. There's no reefer surcharge, no setup fee and no minimum, and you can cancel with 30 days notice.
What does a reefer dispatcher check on a rate con?
The temperature setting and whether it matches the bill of lading, continuous run or start-stop cycle, pre-cool requirements, whether pulp readings are expected at pickup, the claims and rejection clause, and the usual items: rate, detention, TONU, lumpers, payment terms and fines. If any temperature line is missing or contradicts the BOL, we get it fixed before you confirm.
Who pays if a reefer load is rejected?
It depends on the facts and the paperwork. If the trailer held the temperature on the rate con and BOL, and you can prove it with a unit download, a rejection points back at the product or the shipper. If the unit failed or ran the wrong setting, the carrier and its cargo insurer usually face the claim. That's why the documents matter more than the argument.
Do you book produce loads?
Yes, when they fit your truck and your rules. Produce can pay well in season but brings tighter windows, pulp checks, long waits at sheds and more rejection risk. We tell you what each produce load involves before you confirm, and you can set rules such as no produce at all or produce only out of certain regions.
Do you plan around reefer fuel?
Yes. The reefer unit burns diesel separately from the tractor, and a long wait at a shed or a continuous-run frozen load adds up. We count it when we compare offers and ask for detention terms that reflect it. We also note where fueling the unit fits the trip so you're not running low at the receiver.
Can I refuse a load with a tight appointment?
Always. Every offer is yours to confirm or refuse, with no penalty. If an appointment looks too tight for legal hours and safe driving, we'll usually flag it before you even see it, or ask the broker for a later window. A missed reefer appointment can turn into a rejection, so a realistic schedule protects you as much as the load.

Every temperature line checked before you say yes

We read the rate con against the BOL, so a rejection never comes down to missing paperwork.

Get my reefer booked