The trucking industry is a big one in the United States today, and millions of tons of freight is delivered by truck every year. These vehicles have the advantage of driving across roads and in cities and towns where planes and trains can’t go, and trucks often drive to and from factories, warehouses, and retailers. Some of these trucks are delivering ordinary goods such as furniture, dry groceries, cars, or computer parts. Others, meanwhile, are reefer trailers. Just what is a reefer trailer? These truck trailers are meant to deliver cold items in chilled cargo bays. Delivery trailers may be used for this too, in addition to a smaller truck. These trucks are known as reefers. A carrier company may have a number of different trucks in its fleet, and this can involve wholesale reefer units for groceries or other items. A carrier company may choose to expand its delivery options and look to buy reefer trailer units nearby. Used trailer refrigeration units for sale may not be far away for some carriers, and they can search for used trailer refrigeration units for sale with an online search such as “used trailer refrigeration units for sale Boston MA” or “used trailer refrigeration units for sale Dallas area.” Units for sale may work well, but should be tested first.
The Business of Reefers
Are there a lot of reefer trucks in operation today? There certainly are, and trends show that eve more may be on the world’s roads within the coming years. The market for these vehicles is growing steadily, and carrier companies may want to take note of that trend. In fact, the worldwide refrigerated trailer market is due to reach a market value of $7.7 billion by the year 2022, and it may grow at a CAGR of 4.8% between 2016 and 2022. Even recently, this business saw some growth, such as in the United States. The total number of refrigerator trailer orders expanded 250% just in the year between January 2017 and January 2018.
What is there to know about these reefer units in particular? Many of them are in service; nearly 500,000, to be exact, and this number may continue to grow. On average, these trailers tend to be between 28 and 53 feet in length, and they may be up top 13.5 feet tall. Some of them can be quite large, and may be capable of carrying up to 44,000 pounds of cargo at once during a delivery. Plenty more may be on the roads soon; around 40,000 of refrigerated trailer units were ordered in January 2018, based on data from FTR Transportation Intelligence. Inside, these trailers may sustain a temperature anywhere from a low of -20 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and cooler units will be built into the trailer to maintain those temperatures.
What is being transported in these reefer trailers? Often, it is perishable items such as groceries that are stored inside. Cold items such as frozen food, dairy, juice, and even wine will be transported in reefer units, since they would spoil in regular trucks, especially during warmer times of the year. Grocery stores in particular may have a need for these chilled units, and a grocery store may receive regular trucks for dry items and reefer trucks for cold grocery items. Reefer trucks may also coordinate with building-based freezer units. A reefer trailer will be needed for transporting items from a warehouse that were in a freezer, and these trucks will deliver groceries to stores that have freezers on the premises. Dock workers at a grocery store, for example, may unload the groceries from a reefer trailer and then place them promptly in the freezer to protect them.
