While the United States is home to a vast network of factories and farms that produce today’s goods, there must be a way to transport all of those items to their destinations. This is the job for the modern carrier company sector, and large carrier companies offer naval ships, jets, or trains to deliver cargo quickly. Ships can carry many tons of cargo to the world’s ports, and jets can fly over any terrain very fast to make overnight deliveries. And while trains can deliver a lot of cargo by land, there is still room for trucks to make deliveries, too. A majority of carrier companies today are small, and they each boast a small but hardworking fleet of semi trucks who can deliver goods by road for a fair price. Even small companies can afford to buy trucks, and those trucks can have a variety of trailers attached to them. Aside from “regular” trailers, trucks can also have reefer units attached, or even trailers designed to carry hazardous materials. Now, what is a reefer trailer, and choose a used reefer trailer for sale? Wholesale reefer units can be quite a good guy, since their market is growing rapidly and many shipper clients need goods delivered in them.
Reefer Trucks and Business
A reefer trailer is a semi truck trailer that boasts one or more air conditioner units built into it, and they can chill their interior to protect cold-sensitive cargo, such as meat, dairy, and frozen foods for a grocery store client. These trailers also have wall insulation so they can maintain their internal temperature, especially in warm weather. Such trailers vary in size, with the smallest being 28 feet long and the largest being 532 feet in length, and the biggest reefers may be 13.5 feet tall and weigh an impressive 44,000 pounds. With those air conditioners, reefer trailers can chill their insides anywhere from -20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the current cargo’s needs.
These reefer units are popular, and their market is still growing rapidly for the foreseeable future. In the United States alone, around 500,000 reefer trucks are in operation, and more are being ordered every year. Data shows that in January 2018, around 40,000 of them were ordered, even more than in January 2017. Worldwide, this market is growing fast, and experts say that from 2016 to 2022, it will grow at an impressive 4.8% CAGR, to reach an estimated value of $7.65 billion. Clearly, this is a lucrative market to get into, and a carrier company owner should consider how to choose a used reefer trailer that fits their budget. This requires a few particular steps.
Choose a Used Reefer Trailer For Your Company
A reefer truck can be a valuable addition to most truck carrier company fleets, since they expand the list of options for deliveries. A carrier company owner can choose a used reefer trailer to buy when they look online, such as “used trailer refrigeration units for sale” and find some local results. New reefers can be found this way, as well. The buyer is urged to go look over these trailers in person, especially the used ones, to check for any maintenance issues. The buyer can check the trailer’s brakes, axles, wheels, and brake lights, and look for any loose wiring or damaged components in the air conditioners. New units will be more expensive, but they will be in good shape, and have modern standards for hardware and performance (plus mention factory warranties).
These usually need to be financed, and big banks are not usually a good route to take for a loan. Instead, the buyer can meet with truck lending companies, who understand the risks of this business and specialize in it. Those lenders have more lenient terms than big banks, though they will still check a borrower’s personal and business credit score, as well as their financial history (to check for red flags). A borrower with good credit may get as much as 100% of the trailer’s value in a loan, and at a low interest rate. Borrowers with lower credit scores can still get loans, though with less favorable terms. Either way, the trailer itself will act as collateral for that loan.
