I Can’t Find Reefer Loads
Last updated:
Reefer volume moves with the growing season and the region far more than dry van does. A market that was strong three weeks ago can be genuinely empty now, but before you reposition, check whether the problem is seasonal, regional, or your own filters.
Seasonality is the first thing to rule out
Produce seasons drive reefer capacity, and they move geographically through the year. When a region’s season ends, the freight doesn’t thin out; it stops, and everyone hauling it leaves at once.
If your usual lanes have gone quiet, check whether the season moved rather than assuming the market is soft. The freight is somewhere; it’s a different somewhere.
Reefer freight gets posted badly
A lot of temperature-controlled freight is posted without temperature requirements, or under generic categories. If you filter strictly on reefer, you miss loads that are reefer freight posted carelessly.
Loosen the equipment filter one notch and read the load details rather than trusting the category. It’s more work per load and it surfaces freight nobody else is filtering for.
Protein and frozen run differently from produce
Produce is seasonal and volatile. Frozen and protein freight is steadier year-round, less glamorous on rate, and far less competitive. Carriers who only chase produce have a feast-or-famine year by choice.
If you’re consistently struggling to find reefer freight, the mix may be the problem rather than the market.
Check the basics too
- Radius too wide, hiding nearby freight under a wall of distant loads
- Rate floor set on gross rather than net
- Temperature range filters set narrower than your unit can actually run
Where Hey Bubba! fits
Hey Bubba! is an AI back-office automation platform for fleets. It searches continuously across load boards and direct broker networks, reads equipment requirements from the load detail rather than the posted category, and screens on net revenue per mile including deadhead.
Frequently asked questions
Usually seasonality. Produce seasons move geographically, and when one ends the freight stops rather than tapering.
Frozen and protein freight is steadier and less competitive, at generally lower rates. A mix of both smooths the year.
A lot of temperature-controlled freight is posted under generic categories without temp requirements. Strict filters hide it.
Last updated:
Meet Bubba,
AI Back-Office
Automation for Fleets
Dispatch, paperwork & compliance - automated.
Just say Hey Bubba!