cargo hub
reefer trucking companies.
Temperature-controlled freight. Census cargo codes that usually indicate reefer work include refrigerated food, meat, and fresh produce. A “reefer” tag on a board is not a federal equipment registry.
when $750,000 applies
For-hire property carriers in interstate or foreign commerce operating vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more GVWR/GCWR, not transporting the hazardous materials listed in 49 CFR 387.9.
FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints
- code 10 — Fresh produce
- code 18 — Meat
- code 23 — Refrigerated food
Reefer breakdown coverage
Federal BI&PD does not pay for a spoiled load. Breakdown / refrigeration-failure coverage is a cargo-policy endorsement brokers require by contract.
Temperature documentation
Set point, pulldown, and downloadable recorder data are operational controls. FMCSA census will not show them.
temperature control is not a census class named “reefer”
FMCSA cargo-carried codes that usually indicate refrigerated work are fresh produce (10), meat (18), and refrigerated food (23). Those checkboxes mean the carrier told FMCSA they haul those commodities. They do not mean a working 53′ reefer with a current unit and a downloadable recorder will show up at the cooler.
A load-board “R” tag is a claim. Identity still starts with legal name, USDOT, and MC on L&I. Equipment and temperature process sit on top: set point, pulldown, pulp versus air, multi-stop, and who pays if the unit dies.
BI&PD does not pay for a spoiled load
The typical interstate property floor in 49 CFR 387.9 is $750,000 public liability. That is not cargo. It is not refrigeration-breakdown coverage. A warm load is a cargo claim, often with a spoilage or reefer-breakdown endorsement that FMCSA does not require as a numbered BMC form the way it requires BMC-91.
Ask for cargo limits that cover product value, and ask whether breakdown / refrigeration failure is included or excluded. “We have cargo” is not an answer. Get the limit, the deductible, and whether spoilage is covered, in writing, named to the motor carrier on the docket.
Re-check L&I the morning of pickup. Insurance lapses show up there first. A certificate dated last month does not override a pending cancellation on the public filing.
set point, pulp, and the recorder
Shippers specify a set point. That is the unit setting, not the pulp temperature of the product. Ask which number they will run, whether they pulp at loading, and whether the recorder (or ELD-adjacent reefer telematics) can be downloaded after delivery.
A carrier who cannot state a set point, does not know if the trailer is pre-cooled, or has no working recorder is not covering produce or pharmaceuticals. Write the pre-cool confirmation in the file before the truck is dispatched.
Multi-stop reefers add door time. Every extra stop is a temperature event. If the carrier’s only reefer is already on a three-stop run, this load may sit. Ask where the unit is now, not whether they “have reefers.”
food-grade versus frozen versus pharma
Fresh produce, frozen meat, and temperature-controlled pharma are different jobs. Census refrigerated-food is a hint, not a GDP or FSMA credential. Ask wash-out, prior cargo, and whether the trailer is food-grade if the shipper requires it.
Pharma and high-value frozen often need dual-temp or a tighter alarm band than a grocery reefer. If the carrier’s unit cannot hold the band, do not talk them into it. Find a unit that can, or do not cover.
If the product is also a hazardous material, run the hazmat checks. A refrigerated tank or a package with a UN number is not “just reefer.”
equipment and desk questions
- What is the trailer number, unit make, and current location — not “we have reefers”?
- What set point will they run, and will they pulp at loading if the shipper requires it?
- Is the trailer pre-cooled, and can they send a pre-cool photo or unit printout?
- Can the recorder be downloaded after delivery, and who keeps that file?
- Does cargo include refrigeration-breakdown, at what limit, named to this MC?
- Prior cargo and last wash, if this is food-grade?
produce load, van MC, “my buddy has a reefer”
The docket on the thread is a dry-van operator. The person on the phone offers a friend’s trailer. That is a different motor carrier or an identity gap. Cover only the legal entity that will be on the rate con, with a unit that entity dispatches. Call the census telephone. If they cannot name the trailer, fail closed.
frozen, cargo $50,000, invoice $140,000
Authority can be Active and the BI&PD floor can be met. The cargo limit still does not cover the product. Raise cargo, get breakdown in writing, or do not book. A warm frozen load at $50,000 of cargo is a known gap, not a surprise.
desk checklist
- Confirm produce/meat/refrigerated food on cargo-carried, then still ask about the actual trailer.
- Require cargo + reefer-breakdown limits that cover product value.
- Get a pre-cool confirmation and a working recorder before loading.
- Re-check insurance on L&I the morning of pickup — lapses show up here first.
common mistakes
- Assuming a carrier that once hauled dry freight can protect a −10°F load.
- Using BI&PD minimums as a substitute for cargo and breakdown limits.