Using Reefer Trailers In Your Trucking Company
The American manufacturing industry is a truly vast one, and factories across the nation are building everything from cars to washing machines to books. Farms produce a great deal of foodstuff, too, but none of this can get around without a solid transport network in place, too. Countless freight companies are in operation today to move these goods by train, plane, ship, and truck alike, though these companies tend to skew on the smaller side. Larger companies move many tons of goods by freight, while smaller ones are using modest but hardworking fleets of trucks to deliver goods for their shipper clients. These semi trucks are a common sight on American roads today, and they can travel to many places that ships or trains cannot reach. A carrier company may boast both specialized and generalized trailers for work, and that may include reefer units such as used Thermo King brand trailers, among others. Refrigeration units are vital for transporting cold-sensitive goods such as groceries, so a carrier company may look for new reefer trailers or gently used models to add to their truck fleet. These new reefer trailers are in prime condition, while used ones may be lower cost.
All About Reefer Trailers
These trailers are very important, and the demand for them is higher than ever around the world. Wholesale reefer units sell fast, and many trucking companies need them to satisfy their shipper clients. How to choose a used reefer or new reefer trailers? These units vary in size and shape, but the general idea is the same. Such a trailer has an air conditioning unit on it to chill the interior’s air to an acceptable range of temperature, even for frozen items. These trailers also feature insulation in their walls to maintain those temperatures even during hours of transit in warm weather.
These trailers may be anywhere from 28 to 53 feet long and may be as tall as 13.5 feet in some cases. They can be quite large, with the biggest models weighing in at 44,000 pounds. Inside, the temperature may be a mild 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and can be lowered down to -20 degrees Fahrenheit if need be.
This makes for a big market for both used and new reefer trailers. The world wide refrigerated trailer market is due to hit a market value of $7.65 billion by the year 2022, and it may grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2016 to 2022, according to estimates. The market for these was valued at $5 billion in 2015, which may climb another $2 billion or so by 2022. And in the United States alone, some 500,000 of these trailers are in operation, and that number may grow in the coming years. Any carrier company manager may look into these new reefer trailers on the market and find one that suits their needs.
Buying and Using Reefer Trailers
Grocery stores are common clients for a carrier company, and such stores need cold-based goods such as frozen processed food, dairy, meat, juices, ice cream, and the like. Those cold items would suffer in an ordinary trailer, but a reefer can deliver them safely. In fact, that shipper probably owns a warehouse (or rents it) with a refrigeration unit inside. Crews may load cold items from that freezer into the truck’s reefer trailer, and once that truck arrives at the grocery store’s dock, personnel will unload the cold items and put them into in-store freezers.
A carrier owner may browse new reefer trailers if they have the budget for them, or look for gently used models at a discount. Finding a used trailer means looking them over in person, to ensure they are in fine condition. The buyer may check their repair needs; minor repair jobs may not be an issue, but major damage may ruin the deal. A carrier owner may even take out truck loans on their current vehicles to help finance a new reefer unit, and truck loan companies are often more flexible with loans than conventional banks are. Getting a reefer unit may greatly expand a truck company’s shipping options, helping the business grow.
