Specialized
Refrigerated & Temperature-Controlled Freight
Pre-cooled before loading, held at the temperature on the bill, and recorded the whole way so nobody has to take your word for it.
Cargo Taxi Deliveries hauls refrigerated and temperature-controlled freight out of Los Angeles — chilled and frozen food, produce, pharmaceuticals, and laboratory material. Loads run at the temperature written on the bill of lading, the unit is pre-cooled before loading, and the temperature is recorded so the consignee can see the whole run rather than one reading at the door.
A reefer load is rejected at the door, not in transit. The consignee checks a temperature, compares it against the bill of lading, and either takes the freight or does not — and at that point an argument about what the trailer was doing three hours earlier is worth nothing without a record. So temperature-controlled work here is run around the record: the unit is pre-cooled before the first pallet goes on, the set point comes off the bill rather than off a habit, and the run is logged.
The commodities are mostly food and pharmaceutical. Chilled and frozen food moving between the Los Angeles produce and food districts, distribution centres and restaurants; produce out of the Central Valley and the Imperial Valley; pharmaceutical and laboratory loads that have a validated range rather than a temperature. Food-grade loads are run under the handling and sanitation practices the Sanitary Transportation rule expects — clean equipment, documented set point, and a driver who knows that a door left open on a hot LA afternoon is a rejected load.
Two things kill temperature-controlled shipments more than equipment failure: loading warm freight into a cold trailer and expecting the unit to pull it down, and leaving the door open during a long dock cycle. Neither is a trucking problem exactly, but both are the carrier's problem when the load is refused, so dispatch will ask about pulp temperature at loading and about dock conditions, and will say so if the plan has a hole in it.
Specifications
The numbers.
| Chilled range | 2–8°C typical; set to the bill |
|---|---|
| Frozen range | Down to −18°C and below depending on equipment |
| Pre-cool | Standard before every load |
| Recording | Temperature logged across the run |
| Commodities | Produce, frozen and chilled food, pharmaceuticals, lab material |
| Compliance | Food-grade handling under FSMA sanitary transportation practice |
Equipment used for this work
Mercedes Sprinter
Long-wheelbase, high-roof cargo van for medium loads and efficient multi-stop routes — the workhorse of the fleet.
- Limit: No liftgate — needs a dock or forklift for heavy pallets
- Limit: Maximum 4 pallet positions
26ft Box Truck
Enclosed 26ft box with a liftgate and a pallet jack on board as standard — the right truck for palletized freight going anywhere without a dock.
- Limit: Not a 53ft trailer — 12 pallet positions, not 26
- Limit: Restricted on some residential streets and low clearances
Questions
Refrigerated & Temperature-Controlled, answered.
What temperature can you hold on a refrigerated load?
Chilled loads typically run 2–8°C and frozen loads down to −18°C and below, with the set point taken from the bill of lading rather than assumed. Tell dispatch the required range and the hold time at booking, and the equipment is specified against it rather than against what happens to be available.
Do you provide a temperature record?
Yes. The temperature is logged across the run and the record is available to the consignee, which is the only thing that resolves a dispute at the door. A single reading taken on arrival proves nothing about the eight hours before it.
Can you haul food under FSMA rules?
Yes. Food-grade loads are run under the sanitary transportation practices the rule expects: clean and dedicated equipment, a documented set point, pre-cooling before loading, and drivers trained on why a dock door left open matters. If your receiver requires specific written procedures, ask dispatch before booking so they can be confirmed in advance.
What happens if the load arrives out of temperature?
The recorded log is produced immediately, which usually establishes where the excursion happened — frequently at loading, when warm product goes into a cold box, or during a long dock cycle with the doors open. Dispatch will tell you what the record shows rather than argue about it, because a carrier that will not show the log is a carrier with something to hide.
Further reading
How this works in practice.
Company
Thirty Years Hauling Freight Out of Los Angeles
What does a Los Angeles freight carrier learn in thirty years?
How freight works
Why Refrigerated Loads Get Rejected at the Door
Why do refrigerated shipments get rejected on arrival?
Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Freight Map: Eight Markets in One City
How does freight actually work across Los Angeles?
Related services
Often booked together.
Food & Dry Goods
Groceries, dry goods, beverage and produce — moved on clean equipment, into the delivery windows restaurants and grocers actually keep.
Medical Courier
Specimens, pharmaceuticals and equipment moved under documented chain of custody, at the temperature the commodity requires.
Long-Haul Trucking
Eleven states, one driver, one truck — from the LA basin to wherever in the West the load has to be.
LTL & Palletized Freight
One to twelve pallets, liftgate and pallet jack on every truck, and no terminal in the middle losing your freight.