Full truckload reefer service for frozen, chilled, and temperature-sensitive cargo. FSMA-compliant carriers, real-time temperature monitoring, pharmaceutical-grade cold chain, and produce freight across every North American lane.
When your freight requires temperature control, the stakes are high. A single temperature excursion can spoil a full truckload of produce, compromise a pharmaceutical shipment, or trigger a costly food safety recall. MyExpressFreight connects you to a network of FSMA-compliant reefer carriers with modern, well-maintained refrigerated equipment — and the documentation protocols to back it up.
From frozen freight running at -10°F to fresh produce at 34°F to controlled room temperature pharmaceuticals at 59°F, our team matches your cargo to the right equipment, verifies pre-cool procedures, and monitors temperature compliance from origin to destination.
Understanding reefer equipment capabilities helps you choose the right service level and avoid temperature excursions that put your freight — and your customers — at risk.
Refrigerated trailers serve a wide range of industries — any commodity that requires temperature control during transit belongs in a reefer, not a dry van.
Fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and fresh herbs shipped under strict FSMA Sanitary Transportation rules. Produce lanes run continuously during growing seasons from California, Florida, Texas, and Mexican border crossings nationwide.
Frozen meals, frozen vegetables, ice cream, frozen bakery, and frozen seafood. Deep-freeze loads running at -10°F to 0°F require pre-cooled trailers, tight door seals, and carriers experienced with frozen commodity protocols.
Fresh and frozen beef, pork, poultry, and processed meats from packing plants to distribution centers and grocery DCs. USDA-compliant handling, sanitary trailer requirements, and temperature logs on every load.
Fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, and dairy ingredients. Dairy freight is time-sensitive, temperature-critical, and subject to strict sanitation requirements. We source carriers with dairy-approved equipment and sanitary certifications.
Temperature-sensitive medications, biologics, vaccines, clinical trial materials, and biotech products. GDP-compliant cold chain with certified temperature data loggers, chain-of-custody documentation, and validated lane qualification upon request.
Fresh and frozen fish, shellfish, and aquaculture products from processing facilities to distribution and retail. Tight temperature tolerances, short transit windows, and sanitary equipment requirements on every seafood load.
Cut flowers, potted plants, nursery stock, and live plants requiring temperature and humidity control. Floral freight runs at controlled cool temperatures to prevent wilting, ethylene damage, and freeze injury during transit.
Temperature-sensitive chemicals, resins, adhesives, coatings, and specialty ingredients that degrade, gel, or crystallize outside specific temperature ranges. CRT and chilled service available for non-food industrial temperature-controlled freight.
We offer a full range of refrigerated service levels to match every cold chain requirement — from a single spot load to year-round contract coverage on dedicated reefer lanes.
Reefer freight demands a higher standard than general freight — from equipment quality to carrier protocols. Here is what sets our cold chain program apart.
Answers to the most common questions about reefer shipping — temperature ranges, FSMA compliance, monitoring, pre-cooling, and cold chain costs.
Reefer freight is cargo transported in a refrigerated trailer — an enclosed trailer equipped with a diesel-powered refrigeration unit that maintains a set temperature throughout transit. Reefer trailers can run frozen (around -10°F), chilled (33°F to 45°F), or controlled room temperature (59°F to 77°F) depending on the commodity. Common reefer freight includes fresh produce, frozen foods, meat, seafood, dairy, pharmaceuticals, flowers, and temperature-sensitive chemicals.
Reefer typically costs 20–35% more than dry van on the same lane. The premium reflects the higher cost of refrigerated equipment, additional diesel consumed by the refrigeration unit, and the lower availability of reefer capacity versus standard dry van. During peak produce season (May through September), reefer premiums can climb significantly higher in produce-heavy corridors. Contact MyExpressFreight for a real-time reefer quote on your specific lane and commodity.
Modern reefer trailers maintain temperatures from approximately -20°F to +70°F. Common settings: frozen (-10°F to 0°F) for ice cream and frozen foods; chilled (33°F to 45°F) for produce, dairy, and fresh meat; controlled room temperature (59°F to 77°F) for pharmaceuticals, chocolate, and wine. The refrigeration unit runs continuously — including during stops — and records temperature data throughout the trip. For tight-tolerance pharmaceutical shipments, certified electronic data loggers provide continuous documentation.
The FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Sanitary Transportation Rule requires carriers transporting human or animal food to maintain correct temperatures, keep vehicles and equipment clean and suitable for food transport, and document temperature conditions. For shippers, this means selecting carriers who can produce sanitary inspection records, provide temperature logs, and follow proper pre-cool and loading procedures. All reefer carriers in the MyExpressFreight network are FSMA-compliant, and we can provide full documentation upon request.
Temperature is tracked through the trailer's onboard refrigeration unit, which logs set point and return air temperature throughout the trip. For pharmaceutical and high-value food freight, electronic data loggers (EDLs) placed inside the cargo area provide continuous independent temperature recording. Modern reefer units transmit temperature data via telematics in real time, allowing us to monitor for excursions and respond immediately if a temperature alarm triggers during transit.
Yes — multi-temperature (multi-temp) trailers divide the trailer into two or three independently controlled compartments, each running at a different temperature. This allows frozen and chilled products — or chilled and room temperature products — to ship on the same trailer, reducing cost for mixed-temp shippers. Multi-temp equipment is not universally available, so let us know at booking if you need a split-temperature load and we will source appropriately equipped carriers.
Yes — for frozen and chilled freight, the trailer must be pre-cooled to the required temperature before loading begins. Loading warm product into a warm trailer forces the refrigeration unit to work harder and risks a temperature spike that can compromise the cargo. Pre-cooling typically takes 1–2 hours. MyExpressFreight verifies trailer temperature at the required set point before loading on all temperature-sensitive freight. A pre-cool certificate can be provided for pharmaceutical and food safety documentation purposes.
"We ship fresh produce out of Salinas Valley year-round. MyExpressFreight's reefer carriers show up pre-cooled, on time, and with the FSMA documentation our buyers require. That's rare in this lane."
"Our pharmaceutical cold chain has zero tolerance for temperature excursions. MyExpressFreight provided certified data loggers, GDP documentation, and hit every delivery window. First broker we've trusted with our pharma freight."
"We were scrambling to find reefer capacity for a large ice cream launch during the summer peak. MyExpressFreight had frozen capacity confirmed within 90 minutes on lanes where our usual brokers couldn't find anything."
"The real-time temperature monitoring MyExpressFreight offers gives us visibility we never had before. We caught one potential excursion early because they alerted us before it became a problem. That's proactive cold chain management."
"Cross-border reefer into Mexico is complicated — documentation, SENASICA, perishable timing. MyExpressFreight handled it without a single delay. They clearly know cross-border cold chain inside and out."
"We needed multi-temp trailers for mixed frozen and chilled product. Most brokers don't even know what that means. MyExpressFreight sourced the right equipment, confirmed the specs, and delivered on every load."
Spot and contract reefer rates on all North American temperature-controlled lanes.