Reefer dispatch
Reefer dispatch services
We find refrigerated loads that fit your trailer and lanes, confirm the temperature, pre-cool and appointment details before you accept, negotiate the rate and handle the paperwork. You approve every load.
- A flat 5–12% per load
- You approve every load
- In business since 2017
At a glance
Reefer dispatch means a dispatcher finds and books temperature-controlled freight for your refrigerated trailer: produce, meat, dairy, frozen food and other goods that must stay cold. Digital Storming’s dispatchers confirm the set temperature, pre-cool and appointments before you accept, for a flat 5–12% of each load’s gross. You approve every load, and there is no long-term contract.
- Equipment
- Refrigerated (reefer) trailers
- Loads
- Fresh and frozen food, and dry freight when it pays
- Dispatch fee
- A flat 5–12% of each load’s gross
- You decide
- Every load is booked only with your OK
Who it is for
Reefer carriers we work with
Reefer owner-operators
One truck and a refrigerated trailer under your own authority, on fresh or frozen freight.
Small reefer fleets
Several reefers whose loads, appointments and reloads are planned together.
Carriers mixing reefer and dry
A reefer can haul dry freight too; we mix both to keep the trailer loaded.
What is included
What we handle for your reefer
Temperature details up front
Set point, continuous or cycle mode and pre-cool, taken from the broker and put on the rate confirmation.
Appointments that fit your hours
Food warehouses run tight appointments; we plan pickup and delivery times around your hours of service.
Rate negotiation
We negotiate every load and count the reefer fuel and the waiting time before we call a rate good.
Broker calls and paperwork
Check calls, temperature questions and dock delays handled with the broker; carrier packets and load documents kept in order.
Freight and rates
Reefer freight, and what moves the rate
Reefer freight pays for the unit, the fuel and the care it takes to deliver food at the right temperature.
What reefers haul
- Fresh produce, which shifts by region and season
- Meat, poultry and seafood
- Dairy, frozen food and ice cream
- Beverages and other goods that must not freeze or overheat
What makes loads hard to find or price
- Produce seasons move the market. Produce volume moves from region to region through the year, and reefer rates move with it.
- Temperature risk. A temperature problem can mean a rejected load, so the set point and pre-cool instructions must be clear before you load.
- Tight food-warehouse appointments. Grocery and food docks run strict appointments and can keep you waiting, so we confirm detention terms first.
- Fuel for the unit. The reefer burns fuel while loaded and waiting, a cost a dry van doesn’t have, so we count it when we judge a rate.
How it works
How reefer dispatch works
Step 1: Free consultation
Tell us your trailer and reefer unit, fresh or frozen, whether you can download temperature records, your lanes, home time and the rate you need.
Step 2: Send your documents
Your MC authority, certificate of insurance and W-9. We fill in the carrier packets brokers ask for, with your reefer unit and the freight you take, fresh or frozen.
Step 3: Approve your loads
Each load comes to you with the temperature, pre-cool, appointments and rate. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
Step 4: Haul, we plan the reload
You drive; we handle broker updates and load documents, and look for the reload, reefer or dry.
Pricing
Simple dispatch pricing
One pricing model for every operation, whether you drive solo or manage a growing fleet.
Dispatch fee
5–12%of each load’s gross
One flat percentage per load, negotiated by truck type and carrier profile. For owner-operators and fleets alike.
- No retainer and no weekly fee
- You approve every load
- No long-term contract
- Load search, rate negotiation and paperwork
- A dedicated dispatcher and load updates
- Multi-truck coordination for fleets
Tell us about your truck and we’ll tell you what we’d charge. To estimate it yourself, try the dispatch fee calculator or read our truck dispatcher cost guide.
Getting started
What you need to start
Documents to send
- Your operating authority (MC) letter and USDOT number
- Certificate of insurance
- W-9
- Your factoring company’s notice of assignment, if you factor
FDA rules for hauling food
Under FDA’s Sanitary Transportation rule, the shipper specifies the operating temperature, including any pre-cooling, to the carrier in writing. Where a written agreement makes the carrier responsible for sanitary conditions, the carrier must pre-cool the trailer as specified and, if asked, show the temperature was held.
Businesses under the rule’s revenue threshold are not covered, but shippers and brokers commonly ask for the same practices. For-hire general freight in a truck rated 10,001 lbs or more needs at least $750,000 in liability insurance.
Sources (checked October 2026): 21 CFR 1.908 (FDA sanitary transportation) · 21 CFR 1.904 (who is not covered) · 49 CFR 387.9 (minimum insurance)
Questions
Reefer dispatch questions
Do you dispatch fresh and frozen loads?
Both, as long as your unit holds the temperature the load needs. We confirm the set point, continuous or cycle mode and pre-cool before you accept.
Can my reefer haul dry freight?
Yes. A refrigerated trailer can carry dry loads, and when reefer freight is thin on your lanes we look at dry loads to avoid running empty. You approve each one.
What paperwork does a reefer load need?
The same carrier packet and rate confirmation as any load, plus the temperature instructions. Under FDA’s Sanitary Transportation rule the shipper gives the carrier the operating temperature in writing, and where the carrier has agreed to handle sanitary conditions, the receiver or shipper can ask it to show the temperature was held (21 CFR 1.908).
Do you count reefer fuel when judging a rate?
Yes. The unit runs while you are loaded and while you wait, so long dwell times cost more on a reefer than on a dry van. We weigh that before we tell you whether a rate is worth taking.
How much does reefer dispatch cost?
The same as all our dispatch: a flat 5–12% of each load’s gross, set by your truck type and carrier profile, with no retainer and no weekly fee. Tell us about your reefer and we’ll tell you what we’d charge.
Ready to keep your reefer loaded?
Tell us about your trailer, your unit and your lanes.
Mon–Sat, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET · We reply within one business day
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