• Home
    • The Blog
  • Become a Truck Driver
    • Thinking of Becoming a Truck Driver?
    • Getting a CDL License
    • Truck Driving Jobs Guide
    • Trucking Company Guide
    • Trucker Life
  • CDL Training
    • Paid CDL Training
    • CDL Schools
    • Professional Driving Skills + Knowledge
  • Owner Operator
  • Just Trucks
  • Book a Consultation Now!

Smart Trucking

The Smart Trucking Survival Guide for the Trucker

Why Reefer Trucking Jobs Can Be a Good Career Choice

October 25, 2019 By Catherine MacMillan

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read the full disclosure policy, which is pretty dull, but here it is.
60shares
  • 60

Food transportation is one of the biggest sectors of the trucking industry. Some food is transported across the country and some is transported internationally to the U.S.

In any case, transporting perishable items safely requires temperature controlled trailers, or reefers, as they are commonly called.

This type of job requires a little extra work and more accountability, as food products and other perishables, come with specific regulations.

However, for your extra effort, you’ll be paid more than the average truck driver.

Black Peterbilt with Custom Reefer Trailer

What is a Reefer Trailer?

Inside of a Reefer Trailer

Reefer trailers are used by refrigerated trucking companies or reefer companies, which specialize in moving perishable goods.

A refrigerated trailer is 53 feet long with insulated floors, walls, roof, and doors.

It is equipped with a temperature control unit mounted on the front wall. The trailer will also have a cloth chute in place where controlled-temperature air travels to the rear of the trailer. This distributes the air evenly to maintain the same temperature throughout.

Reefer motors run on diesel fuel drawn from a fuel tank mounted underneath.

The purpose of these trailers is to control the temperature of the load, whether it is to be heated, cooled, or frozen. These shipments usually include fresh produce, meat, freezer meals, plants, and anything else that needs to be temperature-controlled.

Related > Sure Fire Owner Operator Tips + Advice For Profit And Success

Responsibilities of a Reefer Driver

Reefer trucking jobs vary a little from the average trucking job, which is one of the reasons they are paid more.

  1. Reefer Motor Operation. For one thing, you’ll be responsible for making sure the unit is operating correctly at all times.
  2. Temperature Control & Monitoring. You are also responsible for controlling the temperature according to the specific load they are carrying at the time.

The way shippers track this is by placing temperature recorders on their loads that record the temperature throughout the entire trip. This is how they ensure that they’re delivering quality products. And it’s your job as the driver to help them do so.

If the temperature does drop or rise, you’ll have to act quickly to correct it or take the appropriate measure to get it fixed. Otherwise, the entire load could go bad. This usually includes calling the carrier, waiting for a repair, and/or switching trailers quickly.

  1. Supervise Loading. Another responsibility reefer drivers have is supervising the loading their own trucks.

Most of the time, you’ll supervise the loading of your trailer, in order that you can arrange the goods appropriately for maximum temperature control.

But food safety is not the only concern. The product also has to be loaded in a specialized pattern for load security. Reefer drivers have to ensure that the load is correctly distributed over the axles and that it doesn’t exceed the legal weight limits.

They also typically test their equipment frequently to avoid maintenance issues and delayed transport. Temperature controlled loads can be a full load of a single product or can be made up of multiple shipments, LTL, requiring several stops, dropping off loads at multiple locations.

Related > Best Trucking Companies To Work For U.S.

Downsides to Reefer Work

  • Night Time Loading and Unloading.

    Almost never does the product get loaded on or off a reefer trailer in daylight hours.

  • If you’re hauling produce, don’t expect banker’s hours. It’s pretty common to show up for your 6 pm delivery appointment and pull away from the dock at 2am. the next day.

  • Hard and Fast Delivery Appointments.

    One of the miserable parts of hauling reefer freight is dealing with stringent deliver appointments. Most deliveries go to huge grocery conglomerate warehouses, which can be a real pain to deal with. Late for an appointment?

  • You could have to wait many, many hours for another appointment. In fact, it’s not unheard of to wait another day or two! Lesson? DON’T be late!

  • Unpaid Waiting Time.

    And to add insult to injury, there’s often little or no pay involved if you must wait to unload.

  • Just Plain Difficult to Deal With

    Grocery chain warehouses often want the freight stacked or broken down into a specific size, before offloading. This can lead to some unplanned labour from the truck driver. It’s not part of the driver’s job. But the alternative is to argue with the unionized dock employees. Guess who usually wins THOSE arguments?

  • Noisy Reefer Motors.

    Although reefer motors are much quieter than they were 10+ years ago, they still make noise. If you’re hauling around a reefer trailer, you’ll need to cope with the drone of the reefer motor while you ‘try’ to sleep.

  • Using Reefer Trailer For Storage

    Some produce docks will take advantage of the ‘cooled’ trailer when you’re offloading. They’ll take their time offloading the produce, and use your trailer space to house their product while they make room for the incoming product, which can sometimes take up to a 1/2 day or more.

Reefer Trucking Salaries

Trucking industry salaries vary quite a bit according to several factors.

For one thing, you might earn a little more as an independent owner operator, but you will most certainly have many associated costs.

As a company driver for a reefer trucking company, you also might make a little more as an experienced driver.

  1. Canada – Reefer Trucking Salary — That being said, the average truck driver salary in Canada is between $40,000 to $60,000 per year.

But as a specialty driver in refrigerated trucking, your salary will likely be greater. You could earn around $65,000 and up, depending on your experience, the province and the trucking company you work for.

  1. U.S. – Reefer Trucking Salary — In the U.S., the wage for a company driver working for a temperature controlled specialty trucking company, will be around $55,000.

Related > Current Truck Driver Salary Reference Guide – The Only One You Need

Is Reefer Trucking the Right Career for You?

Reefer trucking is a great way to diversify your career, and it also pays better than a lot of other trucking jobs.

In fact, I did this work for many years and found it to be quite lucrative.

But if you are considering it, there are some things you need to know.

For one thing, as an independent owner operator, I owned my own trailer. These temperature controlled trailers aren’t cheap. Even a used one in good condition can cost you close to $50,000.

For another thing, the reefer business can get pretty dirty if you’re an owner operator or an independent trucker. This is because some produce and meat buyers have a reputation for cheating to get reduced rates on their loads by tampering with their temperature recorders. This could stick you with a claim and a hefty loss.

So if you do decide to get into this area of trucking, be aware of this common trick.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a more challenging truck driving job and better than average pay than general freight trucking, reefer trucking may appeal to you.

Many of the mega carriers, such as CR England and Prime, have reefer divisions.

Or you can go it alone as an owner operator.

Just keep in mind that this sector of trucking isn’t for everyone.

Because of the added responsibility, expense, and risk, it’s a career best suited for conscientious drivers with plenty of experience as a professional truck driver, in the trucking industry.

Truck Driver Standing Beside Blue Peterbilt

More Articles You May Like

  • 5 Important Things You Should Know About a Career in Trucking
  • Truck Driver Skills: Tips, Tricks + Step By Step Instruction
  • 10 Trucker Tips For Marketing Yourself as a Valuable Driver
  • Top 10 Tips to Becoming a Successful Owner Operator

Filed Under: Truck Driving Jobs

Recent Articles

  • Truck driver leaning on big rig truckA Guide to FFE Trucking CDL Training School + Company
    FFE Trucking CDL School is a paid CDL training option. Learn more about FFE's truck driver training and working for this trucking company. […]
  • Convoy of Big Rigs10 Ways To Pay For CDL Training | Programs, Grants + Paid Training
    In some instances the cost of CDL training can be prohibitively expensive. That said, for those who know where to look, there are plenty of options that don’t require taking on exorbitant debt or a big outlay of cash. Here we’re talking about: • Federal and state CDL grants • Personal loans • Scholarships • Company sponsored CDL training with pay Keep in mind that not everyone will qualify for every program. But researching every option before making a decision is a great way to evaluate which is best for your particular situation. Thankfully, we’re here to help you get the best deal possible. Let’s jump in […]
  • View of Highway from Big Rig Over Hood3 Smart Professional Trucker Tips to Protect Your CDL
    It's critical to protect your CDL. Some smart trucker tips to keep that CDL you've worked so hard for, clean and intact throughout your trucking career. […]
  • Truck Driver Standing Beside Blue PeterbiltDrive A Big Rig| It’s All I Ever Wanted To Do
    In spite of the problems in the trucking industry, there are still a number of truckers who stay with their career, as they love to drive. Dave laments on why he's stayed with the job, in spite of the industry and its faults. […]
  • Convoy of Big RigsTop Trucking Companies in Canada To Work For 2021
    We have curated a list of the top trucking companies in Canada to Work for in 2021: best paying, best for new drivers, tanker outfits, long haul carriers. […]
  • 5 Things Truck Driver Training Schools Don’t Teach |+ What To Do About It!
    Truck driver training schools don't teach ALL you need to know about driving a truck. We give 5 things you WON'T learn in CDL school + how to fix that! […]

Search This Site

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Our Latest Articles

  • A Guide to FFE Trucking CDL Training School + Company
  • 10 Ways To Pay For CDL Training | Programs, Grants + Paid Training
  • 3 Smart Professional Trucker Tips to Protect Your CDL
  • Drive A Big Rig| It’s All I Ever Wanted To Do

Our Most Popular Articles

  • 7 Things You Need To Know About Your First Year as a New Truck Driver
  • What Professional Truck Drivers Do Differently Than the Rest
  • Winter Driving Tips For the Trucker | A Professional’s Safety Guide
  • 10 Truck Driving Safety Tips Every Professional Driver Should Follow
COPYRIGHT 2012-2021, SMART TRUCKING | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PLEASE NOTE: This site contains affiliate links. If you click on one of the product or service links on this site, we may receive commissions if you purchase something. Please note: we would not recommend any product/service we would not use ourselves. Learn more...

Home   |    Affiliates & Disclosures   |   Privacy   |    Advertising   |   Disclaimer   |   Contact   |   Who We Are   | Terms + Conditions   | Sponsorships
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.