A dry van quote needs a lane, a date, a weight and an equipment type. A reefer quote needs all of that plus a handful of answers that change which truck can run the load and what you can safely say about price. If your intake treats "reefer" as one more equipment dropdown, your brokers will spend the next hour calling the shipper back.
Here is what to capture before anyone talks rate.
Why shippers care about temperature in writing
Shippers moving food are working under a federal rule. The FDA's [Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food](https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-final-rule-sanitary-transportation-human-and-animal-food) rule applies to shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers that move food by motor or rail vehicle in the United States, with exemptions the agency lists on that page.
Read the regulation itself and the temperature piece is plain. Under [21 CFR 1.908](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1.908), a shipper of temperature-controlled food must specify an operating temperature to the carrier in writing, and the carrier must keep temperature conditions consistent with it. The carrier must also pre-cool each mechanically refrigerated compartment as the shipper specifies. [Section 1.912](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1.912) sets how long certain records are kept, including the temperature specifications given to carriers.
I am not telling you what your company owes under that rule. Whether it covers a given shipper, load or role is a question for your own counsel. The practical point is simpler. Food shippers may be thinking about that paper trail every time they tender a load, and a broker who texts "reefer, 38 degrees, ok?" is leaving a weak record.
Get the temperature the way the shipper states it
Do not translate. Capture these as the shipper said them:
- Set point or range, with the unit. "36 to 40 F" and "minus 10 F" are different loads. Write the unit every time. - Whether the number is a product temperature or a setting on the reefer unit. People mix these up on calls. - Whether the shipper will send the requirement in writing.
If the caller says "keep it cold" or "just reefer," that is a missing field. The record should say "temperature not provided," not a default of 34 or 38.
Continuous or cycle
Reefer units can run the fan nonstop or cycle on and off as the unit reaches temperature. Shippers often have a firm preference, and a carrier's dispatcher will want to know before accepting. Ask which one the shipper wants. If they do not know, record "not specified" and do not pick for them.
Pre-cool
Ask whether the shipper requires a pre-cool, to what temperature, and whether they expect the driver to show proof. The regulation has the carrier pre-cool only as the shipper specifies, so the instruction has to exist and reach the carrier.
Ask too whether the shipper wants to know what the trailer hauled last. The regulation has carriers provide previous cargo information on request. If this shipper asks, put it in the load record so it survives the handoff to dispatch.
Commodity type, said plainly
"Produce" and "frozen" are not enough. Capture the commodity as named on the paperwork, plus:
- Fresh, chilled or frozen - Packaging, including whether it is palletized, slip-sheeted or floor loaded - Anything that cannot ride with other freight, such as raw product next to ready-to-eat product - Whether the load is food at all, or something like pharmaceuticals or flowers
That last one changes everything. The FDA rule is about food. A non-food reefer load has different expectations. If the commodity is unclear or sounds regulated, flag it for a broker and stop there.
Food safety expectations
Ask one open question. "Does the shipper have any carrier requirements we need to see before we quote?" Then write down what they say. Answers might be trailer sanitation, a washout, a door seal or a signed carrier agreement. Do not decide on the call what counts as adequate.
Take a hypothetical. A shipper says the load needs a "food grade trailer, clean, pre-cooled." The note should keep those exact words and mark the details as not provided. A broker can then ask what clean means to that shipper. A note that says "standard reefer requirements" has erased the answer.
Load and unload times
Capture these for both ends:
- Pickup window and delivery window, with time zones - Appointment or first come first served at each end - Live load or drop trailer - Whether the dock can load at the required temperature or the product waits outside - Known wait times at either facility, if the caller volunteers them
A long dock wait on a reefer burns fuel and puts product at risk, and it often becomes an accessorial request later. Intake does not quote that. It records the facts so the broker can.
Keep the rate with a human
Everything above is intake. Pricing a reefer move depends on the lane, the market, the equipment, the dock, the commodity and your history with the shipper. That is a human decision. The first reply should say a broker will confirm the details and quote. It should not give a number, a "typically runs" range or a promise that a truck is available.
Compliance questions go to a human too. If a shipper asks whether your company meets their food safety requirements, a broker and your own counsel answer that, not an automated reply.
Test it before you trust it
Run five made-up reefer calls through your process. Use a clean spec, a call with no temperature, a call that says "frozen" and nothing else, a pre-cool requirement, and a commodity that might not be food. Check that each record shows what was said, what is missing and who calls back. If any record holds a guessed number, fix that before live traffic.
If you want help building a reefer intake that captures this and hands off to a broker, [book a call with Chosen AI Solutions](https://chosenai.co/book).
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FSMA Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. [fda.gov](https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-final-rule-sanitary-transportation-human-and-animal-food) - 21 CFR 1.908, Transportation operations requirements. [law.cornell.edu](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1.908) - 21 CFR 1.912, Records. [law.cornell.edu](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/1.912)