Holiday rush bolsters reefer rates in US: TransCore

PORTLAND, Ore. -- As refrigerated food products were rushed to market prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, spot market freight availability for refrigerated vans climbed 12%. Reefer rates rose 1.9% nationwide for the seven days ending Nov. 23, according to TransCore's Truckload Rate Index. Reefer rates and freight volume are expected to remain high through mid-December, officials said.

However, Thanksgiving week in the US was a mixed bag for other equipment types, TransCore said. Van freight volume increased 1.6%, but rates slipped 0.2% nationwide on the spot market compared to the previous week. In a week where van rates for major markets were flat to down, Memphis proved to be the exception, with a 2.5% increase in rates on outbound van lanes.

Flatbed rates showed the greatest volatility of the three main trucking transportation modes, as rates slipped 0.7% on an 8.3% decline in freight availability, compared to the prior week. Dallas showed the greatest swing as flatbed rates slid 3.6%, following unusually high rates during the previous week.

Spot market rates are rates paid to the carrier by freight brokers and other freight intermediaries.

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Carrier Transicold claims to offer quietest reefer

ATHENS, Ga. -- Carrier Transicold has announced that recent company testing has determined its hybrid Vector trailer refrigeration unit (TRU) is the quietest diesel-powered reefer on the market.

The Vector 6500 single-temperature unit was tested by Carrier Transicold to ARI Standard 1120 and compared to a competitive unit of comparable capacity equipped with a factory-installed sound reduction package, the company claimed. It found that when running in high-speed cooling mode, the Vector was six decibels quieter than its rival.

"Putting this into perspective, it would take four Vector units running in high-speed cooling mode to produce the sound volume of a single conventional competitive unit equipped with a noise abatement package," said Dave Kiefer, Carrier Transicold's director of marketing and product management.

The company also noted its Vector TRU provides heating using electric resistance strips, which do not require the use of the compressor and result in even quieter heating.

In high-speed heat mode, Carrier Transicold said its Vector unit was 10 decibels quieter than the competitor.

The company chalks its quietness up to an all-electric refrigeration system that has fewer components that contribute to engine and compressor noise. It also features a noise-reducing V-Force condenser fan with vortex-suppression technology. Both the Vector 6500 and the Vector 6600MT also feature a bottom panel that further contains engine sound, the company says.

"Hauling operations that are seeking the quietest choice in high-capacity trailer refrigeration systems should consider the Vector units," Kiefer said. "Although conventional trailer refrigeration systems, including Carrier's X2 series, have been designed over the years to perform more quietly, the issue of noise is more relevant than ever."

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