For reefer
Reefer loads pay more per mile and cost more to run. Which one wins?
Reefer rates are usually higher, and so are fuel and paperwork. The audit shows what your reefer loads actually net per mile you drove, with the reefer unit fuel counted on its own line.
What is different on reefer
Four things dry van carriers do not deal with
Reefer unit fuel
The refrigeration unit runs on its own diesel tank. The cost per mile tool has a separate line for it, so it does not vanish into one fuel number. Running the unit continuously burns more than cycling it, and the rate con sometimes sets the mode.
Cold-dock waits
Pre-cooling the trailer, loading and checking in at temperature-controlled docks can take time, and receivers often hold trucks in line. The audit lists stops over free time with nothing billed.
Temperature records
When a receiver disputes a delivery, the records that show the load stayed in range are your defense: the set point on the rate con, the pre-cool reading, the temperature log from the unit. We check which loads have complete packets. We do not certify temperatures.
Lumper and unloading fees
Same leak as dry van, often with larger receipts at cold storage. Keep the receipt and the broker approval together.
Documents that protect a reefer load
- Rate con with the set point, mode and any pre-cool requirement.
- Pre-cool reading before loading, with time.
- Seal number at pickup and at delivery.
- Signed BOL with arrival and departure times.
- Temperature log from the unit for the whole trip.
- Receipts: lumper, scale, any unit repair on the road.
The full list is in the reefer documentation checklist.
Reefer questions the audit answers
- Is your rate per all mile on reefer loads actually higher than on dry van once reefer fuel is counted?
- Which reefer loads sat longest at a dock, and was it billed?
- Which loads are missing a temperature record or a signed time?
- Which brokers pay reefer invoices slowest?
We do not publish reefer market rates. Your own file is the only benchmark.
Questions
Can you handle reefer claims for spoiled loads?
We can help organize the documents for a claim and track its status. We are not a claims adjuster or a law firm, and you approve anything that is sent.
Do you have reefer rate benchmarks?
No. We do not publish market rates or live freight rates.
Deeper guides: all billing guides, detention pay, short pay, broker payment delay, true RPM. Other segments: flatbed, drayage, hotshot, brokers who pay late.
Related: reefer fuel, pre-cool and claims, reefer claims.
See what your last 20 loads show.
One short form. We reply by email with the next step, and a one-page report follows. Free, no obligation.
Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Raleigh, NC). Voicemail is answered the next business day.