Your trailer type is one of the biggest decisions in your business — it determines which freight you can even see, what the pay ceiling looks like, and how much extra work sits on top of the driving itself. Here's how the three most common options stack up.
Dry van: the steady baseline
Dry van is the largest and most liquid freight market in the country, which cuts both ways. There's rarely a shortage of loads, and equipment requirements are minimal, but that same accessibility keeps rates competitive. Dry van tends to be the right starting point for new authorities because of how consistently available the freight is, even if the per-mile ceiling is lower than more specialized trailers.
Reefer: a growing, higher-effort market
Refrigerated freight typically pays a premium over dry van on comparable lanes, and the underlying market has been expanding briskly. Industry research from Fortune Business Insights put the global refrigerated transport market at roughly $145 billion in 2025, projecting growth to more than $307 billion by 2034 — an annual growth rate above 8.5% — with North America accounting for close to three-in-ten dollars of that global market. That growth reflects real, structural demand from cold-chain food and pharmaceutical distribution, not a short-term spike.
The trade-off is operational: reefer units need fuel and maintenance on top of the tractor, temperature compliance adds paperwork, and detention at cold-storage facilities can run longer than a typical dry van stop. Dispatch support earns its keep here by booking loads with brokers who understand and pay for that extra complexity, rather than treating a reefer trailer like a dry box with a fridge attached.
Flatbed: specialized freight, specialized pay
Flatbed and step deck freight — steel, machinery, building materials — tends to pay the strongest premiums of the three, but it demands the most from the driver: tarping, chains and straps, and load securement knowledge that dry van and reefer simply don't require. Flatbed freight is also less consistently available in every lane, so lane flexibility matters more here than with dry van.
So which one is "right"?
There isn't a universal answer — the right equipment strategy depends on your comfort with hands-on freight handling, your appetite for specialized maintenance, and how much you value volume versus per-load pay. Plenty of small fleets run a mixed trailer pool specifically to hedge between dry van's consistency and reefer or flatbed's higher ceiling.
What matters more than the trailer type itself is whether whoever is booking your freight actually understands the differences above — a load that's priced fairly for dry van can be badly underpriced for the same lane in a reefer.
Not sure which equipment strategy fits your business?
We dispatch dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, and box truck freight — and price each one accordingly.
Talk to Nerva Dispatch