Insulated vs Reefer

[kirkmyster]

As far as the sim is concerned when do you use the Insulated trailer and when do you use the Reefer?

[AyMazingATS]

Just use the reefer for everything as it can haul dry, insulated, and refrigerated cargo.

[Jelinobas]

Reefer only. Or Dry Box...

[Trucker_71]

More loads are available to a reefer.

[ttower]

It is best to use the Reefer, as it is the most versatile.

However, the answer you might be looking for is that an Insulated trailer has slightly thinner walls, and therefore has more room for cargo. This means you can haul more at once, and should be paid more per load. I cannot remember however, if this applied in game, IRL, or both.

[rhuffp]

Vans other than the reefer usually pay higher in the game. Not sure IRL.

[MagnusA]

in-game the reefers can take frozen goods, the insulated cannot.

[KES]

In real life, most carriers probably prefer dry van and reefer (and of course tarp if applicable).
In ATS, my observation is that you get a little more money out of the loads (if they are the same) if you use an isolated than with the reefer and less than with the dryvan.
Of course there are loads you can only transport in the reefer.
Personally, I rarely use the isolated - but have a profile where I use it because of the smoother texture of the sides.

ATS is not really realistic - so the whole thing is much more complex in real life:
Due to the elaborate, insulated body and the cooling unit (almost always with heating and freezing function), these are technically much more expensive compared to other closed bodies. Particularly in terms of maintenance costs, minor shunting damage that frequently occurs in everyday transport can result in major repair costs.

Due to the fixed body, however, many disadvantages arise during transports that can only be partially solved or their disadvantages minimized or postponed with technically sophisticated and thus even more expensive bodies that reduce the payload.
In the transport business, flexibility is one of the most important criteria.

An insulated box body is considerably heavier than a comparable closed tarpaulin body due to the usually double-walled GRP planking with an insulating core of polyurethane foam in between and wooden or aluminum bracing. This reduces the usual maximum payload by about one ton of weight.
Elaborately insulated vehicles are hardly ever used in the delivery of general cargo.

A common application of insulated trailers without a refrigeration unit are e.g. hazardous goods containers, beverages, non-frozen but temperature-sensitive goods.
Since the loads in ATS without mods are rather limited and supply chains as well as long waiting and loading times do not play a role, in my opinion the refrigerated trailer is the better option.
But since you are literally showered with money, it hardly matters.

Smartass mode off.^^

[tdjpack]

In real life most carriers, lease and OOs "specialize" in freight as that defines the trailers. and trucks. Versitility can be the key. Many OOs opt for reefer as it does offer greater flexibility in shall i say general freight. The other trailers are limited to that specific freight and may require more expensive trucks.

This is a game with boat loads of money and at some point nothing to spend it on. Open AI garages each with a specific trailer type and you yourself can swap between them depending on your mood. Myself i prefer my old truck with reefer. Retired old driver with old preferences and old memories. I play for days gone bye.

[room217au]

If ya gonna haul anything other than frozen goods in a reefer, make sure you turn the 'fridge off ;)
Steppenwolf toured in Oz ina early 80s. Had to use a reefer for the transport back to Sydney from the Gold Coast because of pantec issues with original trailer.
Fridge was left on. Mistakenly.
After 800km back to Sydney and the doors were opened, the almost instant condensation mostly destroyed all the electronics and speaker cones therein.
Nasty business that.

[MirkoC407]

More flexibility is true for both, game and real world. In reality a reefer however would cost you revenue when paid by tonnage and you haul dry freight. Insulation, the reefer aggregate and fuel tank will cut your payload. So it might actually be more lucrative to miss the one or other temperature controlled freight for a lower paid dry if in most cases you can take more load without the need to cool. Does not matter in the game though, weigh stations don't issue fines.

[The Pitts]

It does matter in the game because how much of a given freight you can haul in a given trailer factors in both volume and weight. Since the only difference between insulated and reefer is a few hundred kilogrammes of extra weight they can generally haul the same quantity because volume is the limiting factor, but a dry van will definitely hold more of the cargo and thus generate more revenue for the same trip.

Obviously the dry van has fewer cargoes available so the overall equation is more complicated but I would definitely say to use a dry van rather than an insulated trailer because the latter can only take either Fruits or Vegetables that the dry van cannot and neither is exactly lucrative (in comparison with Dynamite say).