LoadHoller
POST 01 / REEFER

Reefer dispatch that follows the seasons and reads the temperature terms

A reefer earns its premium by doing more: keeping a set temperature for days, waiting on produce sheds, handling lumpers at grocery warehouses and carrying the risk of a rejected load. The rates follow the produce seasons, rising when harvests pull trucks into growing regions and easing when they don't.

Our reefer dispatch plans around that calendar. We read every posting for temperature, pulp and lumper terms, get detention in writing before you say yes, check the broker and counter above your floor. Every load comes to you to approve, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you.

Keep my reefer loaded
  • 5% of gross, 1 truck
  • 7% new MC
  • 4% fleets
  • No setup fee
EXAMPLE

PRODUCE 34°F CONTINUOUS LUMPER

The notes decide the load

Temperature setting, continuous or cycle, pulp temp at pickup, lumper at delivery, and how long the shed holds trucks. That's where reefer loads are won or lost.

read the temp line

POST 02 / STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Refrigerated truck dispatch: quick answers

How much does reefer dispatch cost?
5% of the gross on loads you haul for one reefer with authority 6 months or older, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, and 4% for two or more trucks while the fleet rate lasts. There's no setup fee or monthly minimum, and a week with no loads costs nothing.
When is produce season for reefers?
It moves around the country. Southern growing regions like Florida, South Texas and the Arizona desert are busy through winter and spring, while California, the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest peak from late spring into fall. Our produce season finder and seasonality calendar show the patterns by region.
Where can I see reefer rates for free?
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service publishes a free weekly truck rate report for fresh produce, with rate ranges from shipping districts to major destination cities. It covers produce only, not all reefer freight, but it's a solid public reference. We show those figures with the week and source, and only for the districts we can read cleanly.
Can a new MC get reefer loads?
Yes, though food shippers and brokers can be strict about new carriers because a rejected load is expensive. Clean equipment, working temperature recording and on-time deliveries build trust quickly. We aim early loads at brokers who accept new authorities and confirm your unit's specs before a load reaches you.
Who pays lumper fees?
It depends on the rate confirmation. Usually the carrier pays the lumper at the warehouse and the broker reimburses it with a receipt. We confirm lumper terms in writing before you say yes, including how to pay and what receipt the broker needs, so you don't eat a fee nobody agreed to cover.
How do you handle detention on reefer loads?
We ask for free time and the hourly detention rate on every reefer rate con before you accept. When a shed or warehouse holds you past the free time, we log arrival and departure and file the claim with the broker the same day. Produce sheds are known for long waits, so this matters.
Do you dispatch multi-temp or frozen loads?
Yes, if your unit can do it. Tell us your reefer's range, whether it can run multi-temp with a bulkhead, and if it's set up for frozen. We only send loads your equipment can hold at the required temperature for the whole trip.
What happens if a load is rejected?
Rejections are the biggest risk in reefer work. Good records protect you: pulp temperatures at pickup, a download of your unit's temperature log, photos of the load and seals. We help you document the load and work with the broker on the claim, but prevention starts with checking the product before you sign for it.
POST 03 / PRODUCE LANES

Reading produce lanes and public reefer rate data

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service publishes a weekly truck rate report for fresh fruits and vegetables. It lists rate ranges for refrigerated trucks from major shipping districts, like Central California or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, to large receiving cities. It's free, public and one of the few lane-level rate sources anyone can check.

It also has limits worth knowing. It covers produce shipments only, not meat, dairy or frozen food. It reports ranges, not a single price, for full truckloads from shipping points. And a district's rate in a given week reflects how many trucks are there and how much product is moving, which can change fast at the start and end of a harvest.

We show those figures on this site only with the report week and a link to the source. The strip below is DAT's latest national reefer reading, linehaul only, and the table shows a few USDA produce lanes per load, broker fees included. Our page on spot freight rates by major route collects the public lane data we track.

USDA reefer produce lanes, $ per load, spot, 48-53 ft reefer, Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (change from September 29, 2026). Source: USDA AMS Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report (FVWTRK), October 7, 2026
Shipping districtDestinationRate rangeTrucks
Santa Maria CAChicago$6,680 to $7,150Slight Shortage
Santa Maria CADallas$6,150 to $6,850Slight Shortage
Santa Maria CANew York$11,240 to $11,895Slight Shortage
Mexico crossings through South TexasChicago$3,800 to $4,400Slight Surplus
Mexico crossings through South TexasDallas$2,000 to $2,300Slight Surplus
Mexico crossings through South TexasNew York$6,400 to $7,000Slight Shortage
POST 04 / SEASONS

Planning a reefer around the harvest calendar

Produce season pulls reefers toward growing regions, and rates in those regions often rise when harvests are heavy and trucks are short. When a region winds down, the same trucks spread out looking for freight. A reefer that follows the calendar spends more time where loads are plentiful and less time deadheading out of a region that's gone quiet.

We plan that with you. If you like to run produce, we time your loads toward regions coming into season and line up the next load before one region fades. If you'd rather run steady grocery and food distribution freight year-round, we keep you on that and avoid the produce crush. Either way, you set the lanes.

The produce season finder shows which regions ship which crops by month, and the freight seasonality calendar puts reefer, van and flatbed patterns side by side.

POST 05 / WHAT WE READ

What we check on every reefer posting

  • Temperature and mode. Set point, and whether the unit runs continuous or cycle-sentry. Some shippers specify one.
  • Pulp temperature. Produce should be pre-cooled. We remind you to check and record pulp temps at pickup and refuse warm product.
  • Shed and warehouse time. Produce sheds and grocery warehouses are known for long waits. Free time and detention go in writing.
  • Lumper terms. Who pays at delivery, how, and what receipt the broker needs for reimbursement.
  • Load securement and seals. Load locks, seal numbers on the paperwork and who breaks the seal.
  • Reload. Where the delivery leaves you, and whether reefer freight is moving out of that market this week.

Reefer fuel adds a cost dry vans don't have, so your floor rate should include it. Food safety rules also apply to the trip: the FDA's sanitary transportation rule covers clean equipment and temperature control for many food loads. Keep your trailer clean and your temperature records ready.

POST 06 / WHAT WE HANDLE

What our reefer dispatchers handle

  • Searching boards and our broker and shipper contacts for reefer freight on your lanes and seasons.
  • Reading temperature, pulp, lumper and detention terms before we counter.
  • Broker checks on FMCSA's public records before every counter.
  • Negotiating every load from your floor, with reefer fuel counted.
  • Reload planning before you deliver, so you don't sit in a market with no outbound freight.
  • Check calls, detention claims and a weekly report of loads, gross, fee and empty miles.

Every load comes to you with the temperature, stops, appointment times and terms spelled out. You approve it, and the rate con, temperature settings included, comes straight to you.

POST 07 / REJECTIONS AND CLAIMS

Protecting yourself from a rejected load

A rejected reefer load is the most expensive bad day in this kind of trucking. The receiver says the product is too warm, too ripe or damaged, and suddenly there's a claim with your name on it and a trailer full of product nobody wants. Most rejections are fought, and often won or lost, on records.

  • At pickup: check and write down pulp temperatures of the product, not just the air in the trailer. If product is warm, note it on the bill of lading before you sign, or refuse it.
  • On the road: run the unit exactly as the bill of lading says, continuous or cycle, at the set point. Keep the unit's temperature log so you can download it.
  • At delivery: photograph the load and seals before unloading. If the receiver rejects, ask for the reason in writing and call the broker before you leave.
  • After: send the broker your pulp temps, the unit download and your photos the same day. We help you put the record together and push the claim with the broker.
POST 08 / NEW MC ON REEFER

Starting reefer work on a new authority

Food shippers and the brokers who serve them can be careful with new carriers, because a rejected or spoiled load costs everyone. Many want to see clean equipment, a working temperature recorder and some delivery history before they'll load a new MC with high-value produce.

We aim early loads at brokers who accept new authorities and often start with freight that's more forgiving, like packaged food or frozen loads with clear handling rules. As your record builds, produce and higher-paying seasonal lanes open up.

Make sure your reefer unit is serviced and recording before your first load, and keep your trailer clean between loads. Those two habits prevent most of the problems that make shippers hesitate.

It also helps to know your unit's limits before you're asked. Can it pull down a warm trailer quickly? Can it hold frozen in summer heat on a long run? Does it record and download cleanly? Brokers ask these questions more often for a carrier they don't know, and a quick, confident answer goes a long way toward the first load.

POST 09 / YOUR CALL

Every reefer load comes to you first

Every load reaches you with the temperature setting, mode, stops, appointment times, lumper terms and detention terms spelled out. You say yes or no. Say yes and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you to sign. Say no and you owe nothing.

That matters with reefer freight, where the terms carry so much of the risk. Step through the card to see who does what, and when.

If a load's details change after you say yes, like a new temperature, an added stop or a later appointment, we stop and send it back to you. A changed reefer load is a new decision, and it stays yours.

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POST 10 / THE FEE

What reefer dispatch costs

5% of the gross on loads you haul for one reefer with authority 6 months or older. 7% while your MC is under 6 months. 4% for two or more trucks while the fleet rate lasts.

No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month and 30 days notice to cancel. A week you don't haul costs nothing. The fee breakdown shows the fee in cents per mile.

See what a reefer week keeps.

Example week at 5% of gross. Your tier may differ.

Keep my reefer loaded
Gross (EXAMPLE)$4,000
Fee 5%$200
You keep$3,800
No haul$0 fee