Not a bad haul for a few minutes walking the garden, is it?
Summer in full swing means two things to me: The height of reefer season and raspberries growing in my yard. With reefer spot rates at a dismal $2.47 a mile, and the berries I pick turning to mush almost instantly after picking, I started wrestling with a question.
How does anyone make a dime in the reefer business with the fickle nature of produce?
If I can't get a tupperware full of fresh berries to survive a cross-town car ride to visit with friends, how is it that anyone, anywhere gets any sort of fresh fruit or vegetable? Especially us poor frigid Vermonters expecting to enjoy Romaine lettuce through the winter.
The answer, of course, is trucking. With reefer season in full bloom, Overdrive sought to learn a little more about the trucking trade that stocks the shelves, feeds America, and brings the farm to market.
Specifically, we wanted to know the tricks of the trade, or how to make it in the reefer business and what you might want to avoid.
Florida-based leased owner-operator Scott Hunter knows all too well how often a driver can get dinged for minor defects, and has something of a playbook to defend against shippers and receivers claiming something rotten.
