reefers vs dry box job

No big difference. Just got a motor right by the sleeper. And loads go anywhere, but they will tell you what you want to hear. I haul reefer and always going to NY, NJ, and PA. But I haul meat, no produce. I hear they have long waits at the produce places.

 

As long as you get with the right company, you should be okay.

On the downside, grocery warehouses. Long, looooong waits.

Complete pricks for warehouse personel.

Lumper fees, may get taken out of your check/advance account until the receipt clears payrole.

Produce doesn't grow in the winter. So expect to either run the valley or pull dry freight. Landscaping, temp controlled meds, make-up, and other items.

You'll learn how to cheat on your logs faster than any other division of freight out there.

 

We haul reefers and the really nice thing about it is the flexability. During the busy times it doesn't really matter much, but during the slow season, being able to haul reefer loads or dry loads helps keep you rolling. The produce places are the worst -- they are always first come first served and expect to wait at least 4 hours at some. Understand that the workers are in the fields picking the produce as you are waiting and it has to be chilled in the large chilling containers before it's loaded on a truck or it will go bad during shipping. The meat warehouses aren't always much better -- some are quick and some will give you a pick up time that is anywhere from Tuesday at 12:01 to Wednesday at 23:59 -- a 2 day time frame -- so they aren't late loading you until midnight on the 2nd day. Our dispatch usually keeps on top of when those loads are ready so we don't spend too much time waiting. The motor on the reefer is a non issue. Most of our trailers are newer and have very quiet motors -- the sound of the other trucks idling at the truck stops is much louder than most of our reefers. As far as I'm concerned, you should go with the company that will work for you as far as home time, detention pay, miles, location etc... Anything you haul out here has it's good points and bad points -- you can learn to deal with those, but how a company treats you is very important. Check out the company by looking at their safety statistics (I think there's a thread on here with the link to those), talking to their drivers (remember, drivers are prone to complain about their company rather than complement it so look for trends in the comments rather than taking all comments to heart) and of course, ask for comments on this board if there is not already a thread about that company. All companies will tell you what you want to hear when they're trying to hire you, the only way you will ever really know if they're telling the truth is to work there -- that is why getting all the info you can up front is so important. Good luck with whatever you decide and stay safe out there.

 

Even when you run reefer to Florida, you may have a problem getting out. One company I worked for once had me go to Florida to pick up a truck at a satellite terminal that had just closed. I got the truck, which was pile of garbage (the blood-stained matress was the best part), and then sat for four days waiting on a reefer load. The loads were there, sure, but in Florida, the problem is excess capacity. It's like California, really. Too many trucks pile up in one area and freight rates sink because the shippers in those areas can bid down the rates. The owner of my truck didn't want to accept a low rate on reefer loads out of there, so I sat. And I sat. And I sat some more. On the fifth day, I walked away and hopped a bus back to Salt Lake. That was a long bus ride from Lauderdale, Florida to SLC.

My point is if you get on with a bigger reefer company, getting out of Florida should be easy. You may have to deadhead to Georgia, but you will get out. If you go with a smaller reefer outfit, you may have to sit some (or a lot).

 

It all depends who you work for, and how they operate. All the Reefer Companies I worked for had me doing mostly short runs and rarely went to Florida. I worked for one O/O and I went to Florida often and had NO problems getting loaded out. I worked for a Dry Van Company I went to Florida many times, Never ever sat. Only once did I deadhead out empty.

If the Company to Picky, you will sit most anywhere. If they not picky enough, you'll be out looking for another Job someday cause they went out of Business.

 

Freight is freight. They all have long runs and short runs. Reefer just has an engine running behind you. Personally I like that white noise. A loud repetitive engine is easier to fall asleep to than some guy who refuses to turn off his music. Reefer means grocery warehouse runs and long waits. And long waits in the summer time combined with no idling policies are no fun.

 

My husband ran reefer for awhile, he liked the loads out, coming back the waits were WAY to long. He sat once in Texas for 24 hours waiting for a load of fruit! Wasn't the first time....he's not a patient man though, wants everything yesterday!!

 

If you find yourself down in the Miami area often with your reefer, call Chris Hodges at Synchrogistics - 863 439 1620. He's a broker, but has driven himself and has a line on some consistent freight coming out of Miami. Occasionally, he has cross country freight that lets you tack on the miles.