Insurance
Reefer breakdown coverage for truckers: what it covers and who requires it
Updated
Reefer breakdown is the part of your cargo coverage that pays when refrigerated freight is lost because the reefer unit breaks down. Six brokers address it in their own terms, TQL, Uber Freight and Werner among them. A plain $100,000 cargo certificate doesn't show it.
At a glance
- Brokers whose own terms address it
- 6
- Where TQL wants it
- On your insurance certificate, for reefer loads
- Uber Freight terms
- Cargo can't exclude reefer breakdown or reefer fuel
- Cargo limit at these brokers
- $100,000
- Broker terms checked
- October 2026
Check a reefer load before you book it. Enter the broker and the load to see whether it calls for reefer breakdown and what cargo limit goes with it. What does this load need?
Who requires it
The requirement comes from brokers, since federal rules set no cargo minimum for general freight, refrigerated or dry. These six address it in their own terms, as of October 2026:
| Broker | What its own terms say |
|---|---|
| TQL | Reefer breakdown on your insurance certificate, if it applies to the load |
| Uber Freight | Cargo insurance can't exclude reefer breakdown or running out of reefer fuel. The same rule covers Uber's power only loads |
| Werner | Its standard brokered-carrier terms include reefer unit breakdown in cargo coverage where it applies, unless a signed agreement says otherwise |
| Flock Freight | Wants the reefer breakdown deductible listed on its own line of the certificate for refrigerated freight |
| Bridgeway | Cargo can't exclude breakdown or malfunction of cooling or heating equipment |
| Spot | Cargo can't exclude mechanical refrigeration or spoilage |
Each of these asks for at least $100,000 in cargo as well. Werner counts it per trailer.
What to check on your policy
A broker reading a plain $100,000 cargo certificate can't tell whether your policy pays when the reefer unit fails, since the certificate doesn't show these terms. Ask your agent for:
- Reefer breakdown written into the cargo policy, and shown on the certificate you send brokers.
- The breakdown deductible as its own figure, since Flock Freight wants it listed separately.
- Wording on reefer fuel. Uber Freight's terms bar an exclusion for running out of reefer fuel.
- The exclusion list in writing, checked against the Spot and Bridgeway terms above if you run with them.
Get it on every quote you compare, at the same deductible, so the prices line up. The quote comparison guide has a sheet for that.
The cargo terms around it
Reefer breakdown sits inside your cargo coverage, so the rest of the cargo terms apply to reefer loads too. At these brokers, as of October 2026:
| Broker | Cargo limit | Other cargo terms |
|---|---|---|
| TQL | $100,000 | Verifies insurance directly with your agent |
| Uber Freight power only | $100,000 per shipment | All-risk broad form. No exclusions for unattended or unattached trailers, theft, the freight or reefer breakdown or fuel. The shipper is loss payee. Insurer rated A-VII or better |
| Werner | $100,000 per trailer | All-risk. No employee theft or dishonesty exclusions |
| Flock Freight | $100,000 per occurrence | All-risk broad form |
| Spot | $100,000 | All-risk. Deductible of $10,000 or less unless Spot approves more |
| Bridgeway | $100,000 per shipment | All-risk broad form. No per-pound limits |
A policy that meets the reefer terms but carries a barred exclusion still falls short of that broker's terms. The cargo insurance page lists the exclusions each broker bars.
Pulling a reefer trailer you don't own
If you pull a reefer trailer you don't own, the trailer is a separate question from the freight. Bison Transport asks for $75,000 in non-owned trailer interchange coverage for reefer. The trailer interchange page covers it.
Where reefer loads come from
The reefer equipment page covers the brokers, boards and rules for refrigerated freight. For the cargo terms that apply to every load, see motor truck cargo insurance.
Know what each load needs. "What does this load need?" reads the broker and freight and lists the cargo limit, reefer terms and trailer coverage it calls for. What does this load need?
Frequently asked questions
What is reefer breakdown coverage?
It's the part of your cargo coverage that pays when refrigerated freight is lost because the reefer unit breaks down.
Which brokers require reefer breakdown coverage?
Six brokers address it in their own terms: TQL, Uber Freight, Werner, Flock Freight, Bridgeway and Spot. TQL wants it on your insurance certificate for reefer loads.
Does a $100,000 cargo certificate show reefer breakdown?
A plain $100,000 cargo certificate doesn't show reefer breakdown terms. Ask your agent to write it into the cargo policy and show it on the certificate you send brokers.
What does Uber Freight require on reefer loads?
Uber Freight's cargo terms bar exclusions for reefer breakdown or running out of reefer fuel. The same rule covers its power only loads.