Reefer Freight Broker — Pacific Northwest

Temperature-controlled freight for apples, potatoes, cherries, hops, dairy, frozen foods, beef, seafood, wine and pharma — continuous monitoring, food-grade carrier vetting, FSMA compliance.

(509) 321-4380 — reefer quotes typically returned within the hour

Temperature-controlled truckload

The PNW is a reefer powerhouse

Washington apples. Idaho potatoes. PNW cherries. Yakima hops. Tillamook dairy. Frozen french fries out of Pasco and Boise. Tri-State beef. Bellingham seafood. Walla Walla wine. The Pacific Northwest produces an enormous share of America's refrigerated and frozen freight — and almost all of it leaves the region by reefer truck.

Evergreen Shippers brokers reefer truckloads, partials, and multi-temp moves across the PNW and nationwide. Continuous trailer temperature monitoring, FSMA-compliant food-grade carriers, vetted last-three-loads history before dispatch, and temperature-trace reports on delivery when retail buyers or pharma cold-chain audits require them.

(509) 321-4380
Refrigerated trailer loading PNW produce
What we move

PNW reefer freight we book every week

Apples & Pears

Yakima & Wenatchee apples to Midwest / East Coast retail and export. Oregon & WA pears year-round. Controlled-atmosphere storage to retail DCs.

Cherries & Stone Fruit

June–August PNW cherry season — tight pickup windows, premium rates, often direct to East Coast and Asia export gateways.

Potatoes

Idaho fresh-pack russets and red/yellow varieties year-round. Boise / Twin Falls / Idaho Falls / Pasco. Heavy fall pull post-harvest.

Frozen Foods

Frozen french fries (Lamb Weston, McCain, Simplot), frozen vegetables, ice cream, frozen meals — primary lanes to QSR distribution.

Dairy

Tillamook, Darigold, regional creameries — fluid milk, cheese, butter, yogurt to retail DCs and food-service distributors.

Beef, Pork & Poultry

Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and regional processors — fresh, frozen, and case-ready meat to retail and food-service.

Seafood

Frozen and fresh fish out of Seattle, Bellingham, and Alaskan-landed seafood through PNW processors. Multi-temp lanes when paired with other commodities.

Hops & Wine

Yakima Valley hops (August–September harvest), Walla Walla / Yakima / Willamette Valley wine — protected temperature, gentle handling.

Pharma & Biotech

Seattle metro biotech, GMP-compliant cold-chain pharma, vaccines, clinical trial material — full temperature trace, security protocols.

The market reality

PNW reefer backhaul economics

The Pacific Northwest is a net produce exporter. Far more refrigerated freight leaves the region than enters it. The math shows up in rates:

  • Outbound from PNW (Spokane / Yakima / Pasco / Boise → Midwest, Southeast, Texas, Florida): often $2.15–$2.25 per mile or higher in peak season (June–September cherry / apple / hop harvest)
  • Inbound to PNW (Midwest / Southeast / California → Spokane / Seattle / Boise): often $1.40–$1.55 per mile — carriers bidding aggressively to avoid deadhead

If you ship into the PNW, you have a structural rate advantage. We help inbound reefer shippers exploit it. If you ship out of the PNW, we book your loads on the high side of the imbalance — especially in tight harvest windows.

Reference: DAT Trendlines & rate-per-mile data for refrigerated equipment.

PNW outbound reefer rate map
Equipment we dispatch

Reefer trailer options

53' Standard Reefer

The PNW workhorse. 44,000 lb payload, food-grade interior, Carrier Transicold / Thermo King units, continuous-temp or cycling.

Multi-Temp Reefer

Two or three independent temperature zones in one trailer via moveable bulkhead. Frozen + fresh in one load.

Food-Grade Verified

Carrier provides last-three-loads disclosure. Trailer washout records on request. FSMA-compliant transport.

Telematics + Trace

In-trailer GPS + temperature telemetry (Carrier IntelliSet, Thermo King TracKing). Temperature-trace report on delivery.

Reefer Hot Shot / Partial

Smaller refrigerated capacity for partial loads, expedites, and last-mile temperature-controlled deliveries.

Reefer Intermodal

Reefer container rail moves for long-haul lanes — PNW → Midwest / East Coast at intermodal economics with reefer integrity.

How a reefer load gets booked

Quote to delivered

1 — Commodity + temp

Commodity, set point (e.g., 34°F), continuous or cycling, pickup/delivery windows, special handling.

2 — Rate quote

Single-temp or multi-temp, lane rate, transit estimate, pre-cool requirement, temperature trace yes/no.

3 — Dispatch + pre-cool

Vetted food-grade carrier dispatched, trailer pre-cooled to set point before arrival, last-three-loads confirmed.

4 — Track + POD

Temperature monitoring through transit, POD signed at delivery, trace report supplied on request.

Why us

What sets our reefer desk apart

PNW Native

We know the produce calendar — cherries in June, apples in September, hops in August, frozen-fry shoulder in May. Capacity planned around it.

FSMA-Aware

Last-three-loads disclosure, food-grade trailer history, pre-cool verification, temperature-trace on retail-buyer-required loads.

Backhaul Economics

We watch the PNW imbalance daily and price both directions correctly. Inbound shippers get the structural advantage; outbound shippers don't overpay in shoulder seasons.

Carrier Pool

Vetted reefer carriers running modern Carrier / Thermo King reefer units with telematics. Backup capacity through the asset-based sister carrier.

Same-Hour Quoting

Most reefer quotes back within the hour during business days. Tight harvest windows get expedited rate workups.

FMCSA Licensed & Bonded

MC#896325 · USDOT 2569360 · $75K BMC-84 bond · $1M GL / $2M auto · Lloyd's of London cargo coverage.

Common questions

Reefer freight FAQ

A reefer freight broker arranges temperature-controlled truckload (and partial) freight using refrigerated trailers ("reefers") for shippers of produce, frozen foods, dairy, meat, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and other temperature-sensitive goods. The broker handles carrier vetting (food-grade, FSMA-compliant), rate negotiation, dispatch, temperature monitoring, and POD — with the trailer running continuously from pickup through delivery to hold the commodity at the correct set point.

Standard reefer trailers can hold cargo from approximately -20°F (frozen) up to +75°F (warm climate-controlled). The most common settings are 0°F to -10°F for frozen, 34°F to 38°F for fresh produce / dairy, and 55°F to 65°F for protected (frost-sensitive) loads like bananas or certain pharma. Trailers can be set to "continuous" run (compressor cycles to maintain temperature) or "start-stop" (compressor cycles off when set point is reached). Most produce and pharma loads ride continuous.

Washington apples (Yakima, Wenatchee), Pacific Northwest cherries (June–August), Oregon and Washington pears, Yakima Valley hops (August–September), Idaho potatoes (year-round, peak fall), frozen french fries (Boise, Pasco, Twin Falls processors), dairy (Tillamook, Darigold), beef and pork, frozen seafood (Seattle, Bellingham), wine (Walla Walla, Yakima Valley), and a growing pharmaceutical / biotech book out of the Seattle metro.

The Pacific Northwest is a net produce exporter. Far more refrigerated freight leaves the region (apples, potatoes, frozen fries, dairy, beef) than enters it. That outbound-heavy imbalance means trucks heading south or east out of the PNW command premium rates (often $2.15 to $2.25 per mile or higher in peak harvest), while trucks coming back into the PNW (often empty or partial) bid much lower — commonly $1.40 to $1.55 per mile. Booking your inbound reefer freight to the PNW takes advantage of this imbalance.

Every carrier we dispatch on a reefer load is vetted for FMCSA authority, BMC-91 insurance, and food-grade trailer history. FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) compliance for the sanitary transport of human and animal food requires the carrier to maintain trailer cleanliness records, prior-load disclosure (so a meat shipper does not get a trailer that last hauled raw fish), and proper temperature pre-cool before loading. We document the carrier's last three loads in the trailer before booking food-grade freight.

Yes. Carriers running modern reefer trailers provide temperature download data on request — either via in-trailer GPS+temperature telematics (Carrier Transicold IntelliSet, Thermo King TracKing, Pillar) or via the cold-chain partner the shipper uses. We can supply temperature-trace reports for the move on delivery, which is often a customer-of-customer requirement for retail produce buyers (Costco, Walmart, Kroger) and for pharma cold-chain audits.

A multi-temp reefer is a single trailer divided into two or three independently temperature-controlled compartments using a moveable bulkhead. This lets one trailer haul, for example, frozen and refrigerated cargo in the same load — useful for retail distribution and food-service supply. Multi-temp loads typically run $100 to $300 above single-temp rates due to limited carrier supply.

Yes. Evergreen Shippers, LLC operates under FMCSA broker authority MC#896325 with the required $75,000 BMC-84 surety bond, $1M commercial general liability, $2M automobile liability, and cargo coverage through Lloyd's of London. Reefer-specific coverage for refrigerated breakdown is verified on the carrier's cargo certificate before dispatch.

Reefer load coming up?

Call (509) 321-4380 — commodity, set point, ZIPs and dates, and we'll have a quote back within the hour.

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