Line 01 / Reefer dispatch
Reefer dispatch that pays for both fuel tanks
A reefer burns diesel twice: once in the tractor to move the load, and again in the unit to keep it at 34°F or minus 10. A rate that covers the first tank and forgets the second is a loss you won't see until the fuel statement. Our refrigerated truck dispatch prices both into every load before it reaches you.
Reefer pays more per mile than dry van on most weeks for a reason: tighter appointments, temperature logs, lumpers, and a second engine to feed. We count all of it, and every load still comes to you first for a yes or no.
Line 02 / A hypothetical reefer week
Carrier A's week: produce out, grocery back, frozen to finish
Carrier A is made up: one tractor, one reefer, home base in the Southwest. The week on the right is hypothetical too. It shows how a reefer dispatcher thinks about a week rather than a load: a strong produce load out of the valley, a grocery load back toward home so the truck doesn't deadhead 600 miles, and a short frozen run that fills Friday.
The pattern matters more than the numbers. The best-paying reefer load of the week is often the one that sends you somewhere with nothing to haul back. A load that pays a little less but empties you near the next good shipper can be worth more over the week. That is the call we make before we bring you an offer.
DAT reported national reefer spot linehaul at $2.63 a mile for the week ending Aug 21, 2026, before fuel surcharge, up from $1.99 in September 2025. Your lanes will differ; the national number is a compass, not a quote.
Source: DAT, Dry Van and Reefer Reports, Aug 26, 2026 · checked Oct 2026
EXAMPLE
Hypothetical carrier, loads and rates. Not a promise of loads or income.
Line 03 / Two-fuel receipt
One reefer load, both tanks on separate lines
Change any number. The tractor line uses your miles and fuel economy; the reefer line uses unit hours and your own burn rate. Diesel starts at the EIA U.S. average for the week of 2026-09-28. Untick the lumper box to see what an unreimbursed lumper does to a load.
From the unit's hour meter
Yours, from fill-ups
EXAMPLE
Keep reefer fuel on its own receipt: in some states, tax paid on undyed diesel burned in a separately tanked reefer unit can be refunded.
Source: EIA, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update · checked Oct 2026
Read the reefer line as a cost the broker rarely sees. A load with a long pre-cool, a live unload that runs four hours past the appointment, or a frozen set point in July can double the unit hours on the same miles. That is why we ask for detention terms on every reefer load and why a cheap frozen run in summer often isn't cheap for you.
Why separate reefer fuel receipts matter
Fuel burned by the reefer unit doesn't propel the truck, and some states treat it that way. North Dakota, South Dakota and Nevada, for example, provide refunds of state tax on undyed diesel used in a refrigeration unit that has its own separate supply tank. The conditions differ: separate tank, undyed fuel only, specific forms and deadlines. Other states offer nothing.
What to keep
A separate receipt every time you fill the reefer tank, showing gallons, price, date and location. Keep them apart from tractor fuel in your IFTA records too: IFTA counts the fuel that moves the truck. If you run in states with a refund program, those receipts are your claim. How each state handles fuel tax is on IFTA tax by state.
Source: North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner, Special fuel refund claim for refrigeration units (form R11) · checked Oct 2026
Source: South Dakota Legislature, SDCL 10-47B-131, refund for fuel in motor carrier refrigeration units · checked Oct 2026
Source: Nevada Administrative Code, NAC 366.230, undyed fuel used in refrigeration units · checked Oct 2026
General information, not tax advice. Rules and rates change every year and depend on your situation: confirm with a tax professional before you file. We are not a tax preparer or accountant.
Line 04 / Fee and questions
Reefer dispatcher questions, answered
5% of gross for one reefer with 6+ months of authority, on loads you haul only. A full trip's fuel, both tanks, is easier to plan with the trip fuel cost calculator, and every fee detail is on our dispatch fees page.
How much does reefer dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more (limited time). No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice, and nothing in a week you don't run.
Is reefer fuel taxed differently from truck fuel?
It can be. Fuel burned by a reefer unit doesn't move the truck on the road, and some states refund their fuel tax on undyed diesel used in a unit with its own separate tank. Rules, forms and deadlines differ by state, and some states offer nothing. Keep reefer fuel on separate receipts and ask a tax professional.
How much fuel does a reefer unit burn?
It depends on the set point, the outside temperature, how often the doors open, and whether the unit runs continuous or in start-stop mode. Frozen loads in summer burn the most. Your unit's hour meter and your reefer fill-ups give you your real gallons per hour; use that number, not an average.
Who pays lumper fees?
Usually the broker or shipper, reimbursed when you send the lumper receipt. Produce and grocery receivers use lumpers often, so we get the reimbursement terms on the rate confirmation before you accept, and we follow up on the receipt you send.
Can a new MC get reefer loads?
Yes, though some food shippers and brokers want history and a clean inspection record first. We start a new MC with brokers who work with new authorities and build from there. The fee is 7% until the MC turns 6 months old.
Reefer freight we book
Fresh produce in season, grocery and dairy distribution, frozen food, meat and poultry, beverages that can't freeze, and pharmaceuticals or flowers when your equipment and paperwork qualify. Each has its own set points, its own receivers and its own lumper habits, and we match loads to what your unit and your record can handle.
Produce season planning
Produce moves in waves by region and month. In a heavy season, rates out of a growing area can jump while the lanes back stay soft. We plan the trip back before we book the trip out, so a good week in the field doesn't become a long, empty drive home.
What we check on every reefer offer
- + Set point and whether the shipper wants continuous or start-stop, written on the rate con.
- + Pickup and delivery appointments that your hours of service can actually meet.
- + Lumper terms and who pays, before you accept.
- + Detention after free time, because cold-chain docks run late.
- + The reload out of the delivery market, so produce season doesn't strand you.
Keep the trailer cold and the numbers clear
Send your unit, trailer and home base. We book reefer loads that cover both tanks, with lumper and detention terms on the rate con. Every load is yours to accept or decline.
5% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.
Drag to tear, or just tap the button.
Book reefer loads that cover both tanks