Making Use of Refrigerated Trailers

Posted on by

Share the post "Making Use of Refrigerated Trailers"

  • Facebook
  • X

The United States and Canada make rigorous use of trucks of all kinds for shipping, and many shipper clients big and small are hiring carrier companies to use their trucks. A carrier today will have at least a few trucks in its fleet, and charge invoices for clients who need them to deliver goods. Such trucks and their trailers vary in size, shape, and specialty. One category of truck trailers to consider is refrigeration units, or reefer units. Brands such as used Thermo King trailers may offer used refrigerated trailers for sale, and these used refrigerated trailers for sale may be found in most cities for wholesale. When a carrier company’s manager wants to choose a used reefer trailer, they have some options open to them. If need be, a wholesale customer may search online if they don’t have other references, and searches such as “used refrigerated trailers for sale Chicago IL” or “used refrigerated trailers for sale in San Diego” can be a fine place to start. What is there to know about reefer trailers and their work, and how to purchase one?

On Reefer Trailers

The most important thing to know about reefer trailers is that they are climate control trailers for delivering temperature-sensitive cargo. In fact, they can be thought of as refrigerators or freezers on wheels. Such trailers have insulation in their walls so that warm air from the outside can’t get in, and these units will have coolers built onto them or in them to supply a steady stream of cooled air. This keeps the climate under control, not unlike a house’s air conditioning system. Today, there are nearly 500,000 reefer trailers currently operating in the United States today, and the world’s refrigerated trailer market is large and due to grow even more. The United States in particular makes generous use of these trailers, and more are on the roads now than ever. The FTR Transportation Intelligence has said that around 40,000 new trailer units were ordered in the United States in January 2018 alone, showing how robust this market is. Overall, these trailers are of average size, and may range from 28 to 53 feet long and will be up to 13.45 feet tall. they may weigh as much as 44,000 pounds, though there are certainly some smaller models out there as well.

Who ha the most need for such trailers? Not surprisingly, the grocery industry makes good use of these trailers, since many grocery items are temperature sensitive and would be ruined if they were transported in regular trailers. Frozen foods, dairy products, meats, and similar goods would melt or spoil if they were inside a regular truck, so clients such as grocery stores will work with carriers who can offer reefers in their fleet of vehicles. A grocery store will use regular trucks for its dry goods, and reefers for dairy, meats, frozen goods, and the like. The dock personnel at a grocery store will collect these frozen goods and transfer them to the site’s own cooling unit or freezer right away to maintain their low temperature. Naturally, a grocery store’s warehouses will do much the same, as these goods may spoil if they sit in a warehouse without cooling units on hand. Some warehouses have cooling rooms or freezers in them, and a grocery store will certainly invest in this.

A truck carrier company may not have many specialized vehicles or trailers in its fleet, and this may limit the company’s transportation options for present or future clients. So, a carrier company manager may look for wholesale trailers that are designed for specialized cargo, and this includes reefers. A company may look for new or used wholesale reefer units and buy as many as they will need for a current or prospective client. New reefers are bound to be in excellent condition and have advanced features, though some carriers may not have the budget for this. More budget-oriented carriers may look for used wholesale trailers, and find one at a discounted price. Before purchase, the buyer may want to look over these units in person to check for faults or defects. If the reefer is in good shape, it can make for a fine investment.

The following two tabs change content below.

Francis Pitt

Francis Pitt has made a name for himself in farm-to-table organics, working at restaurants in Portland, Seattle and Burlington, Vermont. While he has a taste for the extreme, most of his restaurant’s top sellers are much more down-to-earth, regularly featuring mushrooms gathered from the slopes of the Cascades, and fresh wild-caught seafood from the Oregon coast. Inspired by trends in Portland, his latest restaurant offers the ultimate chef’s table: dinner begins in the morning at his island collective farm, and 4 lucky guests every week get to follow the food, literally, from the field to the plate! Francis is a firm believer that you are what you eat — do you really want to be a chemistry set?

Latest posts by Francis Pitt (see all)