Reefer temperature guide by commodity

This reefer temperature guide by commodity returns a typical carrying temperature range, the usual unit mode and a pre-cool note for common frozen, chilled and fresh loads, in Fahrenheit or Celsius.

The setpoint on the bill of lading always rules. Shippers know their product, its condition at loading and what the receiver will accept. This guide is a cross-check: if the paperwork says 34 °F for a load of bananas, something is wrong, and it is better to ask at the dock than to find out at the receiver.

How to use it

Search or pick a commodity. The result shows:

• Typical carrying range, the temperatures the product is usually carried at.
• Unit mode, continuous or start-stop.
• Pre-cool, a reminder to bring the empty trailer to setpoint before loading.
• A note on special handling, such as chilling injury risk.

Switch Units to Metric for Celsius. Print the card or copy a link for the commodity.

Where the ranges come from

The ranges summarize widely used guidance: the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Agriculture Handbook 66 on storing fruits and vegetables for produce, and USDA and FDA food safety guidance for frozen and chilled foods, such as keeping frozen food at 0 °F or below and chilled food below 40 °F. They are general ranges, not product specifications.

Source: USDA ARS Agriculture Handbook 66; USDA and FDA food safety guidance, checked October 2026

Frozen and chilled loads

Frozen foods are usually carried at 0 °F or below, and many shippers specify colder. Ice cream is especially sensitive to swings. Fresh meat and poultry are carried just above freezing, and dairy is kept cold without freezing. For these loads, the product should already be at temperature when it is loaded.

Produce

Produce is where reefer settings vary most. Leafy greens, berries and carrots are carried close to freezing. Potatoes, tomatoes, bananas and avocados need warmer settings, because they suffer chilling injury when kept too cold. Produce is still alive after harvest and gives off heat and gases, so continuous airflow and correct loading patterns matter as much as the setpoint. Mixing produce with very different needs in one trailer is risky.

Pharmaceuticals

Many pharmaceutical loads require 2 to 8 °C (about 36 to 46 °F), with strict temperature recording. These loads come with validated instructions from the shipper. Follow them exactly.

Unit care

A reefer unit has its own engine or power system, and it needs regular service: oil, filters, belts and a check of the refrigeration system. Our guide to coolant for a semi truck covers engine cooling, and the semi truck oil capacity chart covers oil capacities for service. Put reefer upkeep into your reserve with the maintenance reserve calculator. Reefer trucks with SCR engines use DEF too; the DEF usage and cost calculator shows the cost.

Protecting yourself on reefer loads

• Check the setpoint and mode against the bill of lading before leaving.
• Pre-cool the trailer and record that you did.
• Note product temperatures at pickup if you can, and refuse product that is clearly out of range.
• Keep the unit's temperature download for every load.
• Report any alarm or problem to the broker right away.

Loading for airflow

A reefer cools by moving air: from the unit, along the ceiling, down the rear doors and back along the floor to the return. Anything that blocks that path creates warm spots. Keep cargo below the load line, leave space at the rear doors and along the ceiling, use pallets or a ridged floor so air can pass underneath, and avoid stacking boxes tight against the walls on loads that need airflow. Many produce loads have specific loading patterns from the shipper. Follow them.

Setpoint checks during the trip

Check the unit display at every stop. Note the setpoint, the supply and return air temperatures and any alarms. If the return air drifts away from the setpoint, or an alarm appears, call the broker right away. A problem reported early can often be fixed or managed. A problem found at delivery usually becomes a claim.

Where we fit

We dispatch reefers among our 11 equipment types. We find and negotiate the load, you say yes, counter or no, and the broker sends the rate confirmation to you to sign. Running one truck? See how we dispatch for owner-operators.