What is the difference between continuous and cycle-sentry, and does it matter?

Continuous runs the reefer unit constantly to hold the set point; cycle-sentry starts and stops it to save fuel. Many food shippers require continuous and will reject a load run on cycle, regardless of what the recorded temperature says. We confirm the requirement in writing before you accept the load.

Who is responsible if the temperature record shows an excursion?

It depends on the cause and on what the paperwork shows, which is exactly why the record matters. Pre-cool the trailer, photograph the set point at loading, and keep the download. We make sure the rate confirmation states the required conditions so there is something to argue from.

Does reefer freight actually pay more than dry van?

Refrigerated lanes generally carry a premium over dry van on the same route, but the equipment costs more to buy, run and maintain, and the fuel for the reefer unit is on you. Whether it nets out better depends on your costs, not on the rate alone.

Can I run dry freight in my reefer?

Often yes, and it is a sensible way to avoid a deadhead, though some shippers will not load a reefer trailer for dry freight and a washout may be needed either side. We look at both pools when we plan your week.

Reefer dispatch service

Reefer dispatch service for temperature-controlled freight

Refrigerated freight pays better than dry van and punishes mistakes harder. Reefer dispatching is as much about paperwork and pre-cooling as it is about finding the load.

Temperature-controlledProduce seasonFSMA

Get started Talk to a dispatcher

Why reefer dispatching is a different job

A reefer load carries obligations a dry van load does not. The trailer has to be pre-cooled to the commodity temperature before loading rather than after, the set point and mode have to match what the shipper specified, and the temperature record has to survive the trip. A claim on refrigerated freight is argued on that record, and a download showing the wrong mode can cost more than the load paid.

Since the FDA Sanitary Transport rule came into force, the carrier is formally part of the food-safety chain. The shipper specifies the conditions in writing and the carrier has to demonstrate the equipment was capable of holding them and did. That is a paperwork obligation as much as an equipment one.

The other thing that makes reefer different is seasonality. California produce, Georgia and Florida in spring, the Pacific Northwest in autumn — capacity drains into those markets and out of others on a predictable calendar, and the rate moves with it. A dispatcher who is not thinking a fortnight ahead is reacting to a market that has already turned.

BSG Carriers is a dispatch service, not a freight broker. You keep your own authority, your own insurance and your own carrier packet — the loads are booked under your MC, and you are paid by the broker or shipper directly.

What we do on every load

Load sourcing

Boards, direct broker relationships and repeat lanes — worked continuously, not only when the truck is empty.

Rate negotiation

Every load is negotiated. We know what a lane paid last week, and we do not take the first number on the board.

Paperwork

Carrier packets, rate confirmations, BOLs, lumper receipts and the invoice packet your factoring company needs.

Detention and TONU

If you sit, we document it and bill it. Detention that nobody claims is the most commonly abandoned money in trucking.

Before you accept a refrigerated load

The questions worth asking the broker before the rate confirmation is signed. We ask them for you.

What is the commodity, and what is the required set point in Fahrenheit?
Continuous or cycle-sentry? Some shippers reject a load run on the wrong mode regardless of the recorded temperature.
Is the trailer required to be pre-cooled, and to what temperature, before arrival?
Is a temperature download or a recorder required at delivery, and who pays for it?
Is this a drop or a live unload, and what is the detention policy after the free time?
Who pays the lumper, and is it reimbursed or advanced?

How we run your reefer

Tell us about the truck

Equipment, home base, the lanes you like and the ones you will not run. We set up your carrier packet once and reuse it.

We find the freight

We match loads to your set-point range, your washout situation and the markets you can realistically reload out of. Produce season changes which lanes are worth running, and we plan for it rather than being surprised by it.

We negotiate and book

We call the broker, push the rate, confirm the details and send you the rate confirmation. You approve every load before it is booked — there is no forced dispatch.

You drive, we chase the paperwork

Check calls, lumper receipts, detention claims and the invoice packet. You send the signed BOL; we handle the rest.

What it costs

Dispatching is charged as a percentage of the linehaul, agreed before you take your first load, and there is no long-term contract to sign. Ask a dispatcher for the current rate.

There is no forced dispatch. You see the commodity, the set point, the rate and the broker before anything is booked.

Where reefer loads come from, and when

Refrigerated freight runs on a calendar in a way dry van does not. Produce moves out of growing regions in season and barely at all outside it, so the same lane can be the best-paying corridor in the country in May and dead by August. California’s Central Valley, Georgia and Florida in spring, the Pacific Northwest into autumn, south Texas through the winter — capacity drains toward whichever is running.

The rest of the year the volume is protein, dairy, frozen and packaged food moving between plants and distribution centres. That freight is steadier, prices more like contract work, and is where a reefer earns its living between produce seasons.

The practical consequence is that a reefer operator who plans a fortnight ahead does considerably better than one who reacts. Knowing a region is about to start is worth more than negotiating hard on any single load out of it, because by the time the rate is obvious on a board the trucks have already gone.

Why reefer pays more, and what the premium buys

The gap over dry van is real. So is the reason for it.

The equipment costs more to buy, more to maintain, and burns fuel in the reefer unit on top of the tractor.
The work is genuinely harder to cover, so a carrier who does it properly is worth more to a broker.
The claim exposure is larger. A temperature excursion can cost more than the load paid, and the argument is settled on the record rather than on goodwill.
Washouts, pre-cooling and waiting for a temperature check all consume hours that a dry van load does not.
Net of all that, reefer usually pays better per mile and not always better per week. Work it out against your own cost per mile, including the reefer fuel, before concluding it is the better business.

Continuous or cycle-sentry, and why it is not your choice

The single most common cause of a rejected refrigerated load. Confirm the requirement on the rate confirmation before you accept.

Continuous run keeps the unit operating constantly, holding temperature and — critically — maintaining airflow through the load at all times.
Cycle-sentry (start-stop) shuts the unit down once the set point is reached and restarts when it drifts, which saves a great deal of fuel.
Fresh produce generally requires continuous, because the airflow matters as much as the temperature: product in the middle of a pallet relies on circulation to stay cold.
Frozen freight is more often permitted on cycle, because the mass holds temperature between cycles. The shipper decides, not the carrier.
A load run on the wrong mode can be rejected even when the recorded temperature stayed inside the range. That is what makes this a contract question rather than an operating preference.
Get the set point, the mode and the recording requirement in writing on the rate confirmation. A verbal instruction at the dock is not evidence a fortnight later.

Pre-cooling, and what a reefer unit cannot do

A refrigeration unit maintains temperature. It does not bring warm product down to temperature, and expecting it to is how loads get rejected. Product should arrive at the dock already at its required temperature; the trailer’s job is to hold it there.

Pre-cool the trailer before loading rather than after, with the doors closed. Pre-cooling with the doors open does very little except ice the evaporator and burn fuel. Some shippers specify a pre-cool temperature and check it on arrival.

Keep the record. Most units log continuously and can produce a download, and that download is the evidence if a claim is raised. Since the FDA Sanitary Transportation rule came into force the carrier is formally part of the food-safety chain: the shipper specifies the conditions in writing, and the carrier has to be able to show the equipment was capable of holding them and did. Verify the detail against the FDA rule rather than this summary.

Washouts between loads are not optional for most food freight, and the receipt is part of the paperwork.

Reefer against dry van and flatbed

Against dry van, reefer is a higher rate for a harder job with more ways to lose money. If the premium does not cover the reefer fuel, the washouts and the extra hours, it is not a premium.

Against flatbed, the rates are broadly comparable and the work is completely different: reefer is paperwork, timing and temperature discipline; flatbed is securement, tarping and weather. Carriers tend to have a strong preference, and it is rarely about the money.

A reefer can haul dry freight when the market is soft, which is a genuine advantage — you have access to both pools. The reverse is not true, and that optionality is worth something in a bad month.

Where to go next

Dispatching for 53 ft dry vansThe most common trailer on the road, and the deepest freight pool.Flatbed dispatchSteel, lumber, machinery — and the securement that comes with them.Power only loadsYour tractor, their trailer. Drop and hook without buying a box.Box truck loads and ratesStraight trucks, final mile and freight that does not need a 53-footer.Hotshot dispatchClass 3 to 5 with a gooseneck, running expedited and partial loads.Truck dispatch in CaliforniaCentral Valley produce and the ports — the busiest reefer market in the country.Truck dispatch in FloridaWinter produce, the ports, and the backhaul problem that decides a Florida run.Compare equipmentDry van, reefer, flatbed, power only, box truck and hotshot, side by side.Consistent, repeating freightRepeat, consistent freight — a steady week beats one good rate.How freight rates are setWhen each one pays better, judged against your own cost per mile.Cost per mile calculatorWork out your break-even rate before you judge any load.All dispatch servicesEverything we handle, from finding the load to chasing the invoice.Dispatch for owner-operatorsHow we work for a single truck, and what you keep control of.What the words meanThe words used around a load, explained without jargon.Articles for owner-operatorsDeadhead, detention and finding loads — the business of running a truck.

FAQ

Questions carriers ask

Yes. Produce is a large part of refrigerated freight and it moves on a seasonal calendar — California through spring and summer, the Southeast in spring, the Pacific Northwest in autumn. We plan lanes around that calendar rather than reacting to it.

Put your truck to work

Send your MC and DOT numbers and a dispatcher will call you within one business day.

Get started Contact us