How to Ship a Reefer Truck
Despite the name, a reefer truck isn’t a truck that transports marijuana – it’s industry slang meaning “refrigerated truck.” That’s it. a reefer truck is a truck that is essentially a mobile refrigerator. If you’ve ever scrambled frantically to catch the ice cream truck, congratulations – you’ve chased a reefer truck before.
The question that we’re focusing on today, though, is how do we ship a reefer truck? We’ll explain more about the different types of reefer trucks on the road and the differences between them and how that will affect auto transport prices and services for them.
Article Overview
Some things to know before you ship a reefer truck
Reefer trucks come in all different shapes and sizes, but most of the time they’re boxy and they’re big. Almost all of them weigh over a ton – this is because of the refrigeration machinery. The biggest ones can easily weigh ten times that.
You need to let us know if your vehicle is a reefer truck as opposed to a standard box truck. Many reefer trucks are things like ice cream trucks and refrigerated local transport trucks. These are easier to ship than the 53-foot reefer trucks you see on the interstates.
You need to let us know if it’s a reefer truck because of the additional weight. Now, more weight usually means an increase in price, but the price will be what it will be. There’s no shortcuts when shipping something like a reefer truck.
Aside from the weight, we will need the rest of the dimensions as well. This includes the height, length, and width. To be fair, width tends to be fairly standard when it comes to bigger trucks like this. But at the same time, it’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
You can usually find dimensions online with a simple search. If you’re having difficulty finding it, a tape measure goes a long way. You can also contact a representative for assistance.
How carriers ship a reefer truck
It’s common that reefer trucks need to be shipped on a flatbed hauler. This is par for the course – most oversize or overweight vehicles need to go on a flatbed. Flatbed transportation is a bit harder to find and more expensive due to the low demand for services. It’s a specialty service. As a result, few customers require flatbed transporters, and there aren’t as many on the road. Click this link to read more about flatbed transportation.
There are a few different kinds of flatbeds, with the most versatile being a lowboy. You’ve likely seen these before, the trucks that are flat but have different heights along the bed. These tend to be cheaper because they can handle multiple large vehicles. Flatbeds that look more like flatbed tow trucks tend to be more expensive because they can only ship one vehicle at a time.
To secure your vehicle, carriers will load the vehicle onto the truck, set the parking brake, and chain it. Big, heavy chains or high-weight straps are usually wound around or through the tires and secured to the bed itself. The carrier can explain more about how they secure your vehicle.
Otherwise, it moves the same way any other vehicle moves. You can read more about the auto transport process on our website as well.
Let American Auto Shipping transport your reefer truck
Here at American Auto Shipping we understand that every reefer van is different. As a result, our quotes are custom-built according to which type of reefer truck you’re shipping. We take into account the route, the vehicle itself, the time of year, and more. This way, your price is accurate.
Note, however, that reefer trucks, even when priced to move on a popular route, can take time to ship. As we mentioned, flatbed transporters aren’t as common as open or enclosed trucks. This can make for delays even when everything else is perfect. We call this a supply and demand issue, and we can’t control the supply of flatbed trucks. Rest assured, however, that we work hard to find a truck for every customer, including those shipping heavy equipment.
Give us a call any time at 800-930-7417 to speak to a representative and get a quote. They can answer questions, give advice, and much more. You can also fill out our online form to get started on shipping your refer truck or any other vehicle you may need to ship.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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