Truckers Find Reefer Hauls a Complex Job

(TT File Photo) Driver from Fresh Express in Colorado adjusts temperature settings for optimum preservation of products during shipment.

Comparing the skills required to transport and deliver refrigerated goods with those needed for other commodities is almost like comparing apples to oranges.

The objective, at least, is the same: Load the goods in the truck, take them on the road and deliver them to the receiver in what the customer deems satisfactory condition.

When the cargo is furniture or other nonperishable goods, the job, while not easy, is fairly straightforward. But when the haul consists of produce or meat and the vehicle they’re being hauled in is a refrigerated truck — or “reefer,” as they are called — the job becomes more complex.

For the full story, see the July 9 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.

Click here for the July 2001 Light & Medium Truck magazine cover story, A Glimpse Into the Future of Reefers.