Reefer containers: no genset, no cold.

• 40’ HC reefer. The height published (2.40 m) is the usable stowage height up to the red load line, which sits at 2.40 to 2.47 m depending on the series; it is not the ceiling. The full interior height is 2.53 to 2.59 m.
• 40’ HC reefer. Plate rating of 34,000 to 35,000 kg; the unit’s CSC plate governs. Every Hapag-Lloyd series is rated at 34,000 kg; MSC publishes 35,000 kg and the ONE spec sheet adds up to 35,000 kg, with payloads of 30,260 to 30,510 kg.
• 20’ reefer. Plate rating of 30,480 to 32,000 kg depending on the series; the unit’s CSC plate governs. Seaboard publishes a gross weight of 24,000 kg, with a payload of 21,040 kg.
• Reefer containers. Range of −40 °C to +30 °C; three-phase plug, 380 V/50 Hz to 460 V/60 Hz, 32 A, with a cable of up to 18 m (Hapag-Lloyd fleet).
• Reefer containers. Pallet positions: no published figure that could be verified.
• 53’ reefer trailer. Typical specifications from manufacturers and leasing companies in the US and Canada; the equipment assigned may differ.
• 53’ reefer trailer. Tare: the low end (5,420 kg) is the factory weight without the refrigeration unit (Hyundai Translead; Great Dane publishes a base weight of 5,443 kg). For planning, the leasing company’s spec sheet is used: 6,641 kg ±3%, or 15,540 lb (≈ 7,049 kg) with a roll-up door.
• 53’ reefer trailer. Design gross weight (GVWR) of 68,000 lb (≈ 30,844 kg) at Hyundai Translead and Premier; Utility publishes 65,000 lb (≈ 29,484 kg) and is the only spec sheet with a load capacity: 55,000 lb (≈ 24,948 kg). The gross weight (GVWR) and the load capacities are design values under US standards; they are not legal limits in Central America.
• 53’ reefer trailer. Temperature range and pallet positions: no verified data. There is no verified data for the 48’ reefer trailer either.

Container, 8’6” high, with a built-in refrigeration unit (ISO 22R1). The insulation and the machinery take away length, width and height compared with the 20’ dry container.

Container, 9’6” high, with a built-in refrigeration unit (ISO 45R1). The stowage height is set by the red line inside, not by the ceiling.

Closed, insulated 53’ semitrailer with a refrigeration unit. The insulation takes away width, height and volume compared with the dry van. For regional moves by road it is quoted on request.

• T3-S2 = 6 + 16.5 + 16.5 t; T3-S3 = 6 + 16.5 + 23 t. The maximum authorized weight is the sum of the maximums per axle type (Art. 13).
• Central American Agreement. According to SIECA: in force for El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua since June 2009 and for Panama since January 1, 2017; in Costa Rica it is pending approval by the Legislative Assembly (file 12.277); Honduras is not listed as having deposited it.
• Reference payload, T3-S2. Operator data, not our own calculation: maximum cargo Crowley published in 2015 for a 40’ reefer container with its equipment in Guatemala, on a 2-axle chassis (43,914 lb).
• Reference payload, T3-S3. Operator data, not our own calculation: maximum cargo Crowley published in 2015 for a 40’ reefer container with its equipment in Guatemala, on a 3-axle chassis (50,413 lb).
• Indicative estimate, not a legal limit: the container plate and the limit of each axle group govern, and the axle group limit is usually reached before the gross total; the total assumes the front axle loaded to its maximum, which rarely happens. It is confirmed with the actual tare of the equipment.

In bold, the two lines that matter most with refrigerated cargo.

• Copy of the bill of lading (B/L): number, date and consignee as shown on the manifest.
• Copy of the commercial invoice: number, date and value.
• Description of the goods (nature, trade name, type of packaging), number of packages and gross weight in kg.
• Container number and the numbers of the seals it arrived with.
• Exact destination: name and code of the bonded warehouse, controlling customs office and the customs regime the cargo will enter.
• Permits, import permits (notas técnicas) or sanitary certificates if the goods are regulated, and notice of any hold.
• Notice if the cargo is refrigerated, frozen, toxic or hazardous.
• Notice if the cargo is oversize or cannot travel in a closed, sealed unit.
• Packing list, if the goods are mixed and the invoice does not detail the contents of each package (customs may require it; Ministry of Finance manual of 2021).
• Estimated pickup date: the transit must start within 72 calendar hours of acceptance of the declaration, and it may require an electronic seal (seal: Ministry of Finance manual of 2021).
• Indicative (draft rule under public consultation in July 2026; final publication not confirmed): consignee ID, customs value, 12-digit tariff classification, net weight, supplier and invoice lines.

Non-tariff authorizations for the goods: sanitary, phytosanitary or zoosanitary permits, licenses and certificates.

Who issues it. The competent authority of each country (agriculture, health or another).

When it is needed. When the goods are subject to restriction or are of quarantine interest; they are attached to the DUCA-T and, in Costa Rica, to the domestic transit declaration. Which product requires which permit is checked with the sanitary authority of each country.

Document of title to the goods and ocean transport contract.

Who issues it. The shipping line or the consolidator. For pickup at the port, the customer gives a copy to the carrier.

When it is needed. When the cargo arrived from overseas and continues by land, in domestic or international transit. In Costa Rica its number and date are data of the transit declaration and the copy is attached; in the DUCA-T it is attached in overseas operations.

Security devices that close the unit during transit: seals, mechanical or electronic customs seals (marchamos) and customs stamps. They carry the ISO code of the country and a unique number, and are single-use, except for reusable electronic ones.

Who issues it. They are acquired and distributed by customs or by whoever customs authorizes; the cost is paid by the interested party. In Costa Rica the electronic seal can be supplied by approved private companies.

When it is needed. In customs transit (in-bond): the seal of the customs office of departure is valid in the other countries for the whole route, and only customs can break it or authorize breaking it. The regional regulation does not impose a mandatory electronic seal; in Costa Rica, transfers and transits use an electronic seal as determined by Costa Rica’s Directorate General of Customs (Ley General de Aduanas, art. 141 bis).

National declaration for moving cargo under customs control within Costa Rica. The “viaje” (trip) is the electronic record that controls the start and end of each move between two locations; its receipt travels with the unit.

Who issues it. The licensed customs carrier or a customs broker, by electronic transmission. The viaje is generated by the customs system (TICA, according to the 2021 manual).

When it is needed. By law, the transit must start within 72 calendar hours of acceptance of the declaration (Ley General de Aduanas, art. 140). Indicative, according to the Ministry of Finance manual of February 2021 (validity in 2026 not confirmed): from port to a temporary parking facility a viaje is enough; from port to a bonded warehouse a transfer DUA (same jurisdiction) or a transit DUA (another jurisdiction) is required. From the port to the temporary parking facility or to the bonded warehouse in the same jurisdiction, the run must not exceed one hour. The system indicates, based on risk, whether the unit carries an electronic seal; between bonded warehouses it always does.

A diesel generator that powers the refrigerated (reefer) container while it travels by road or rail. There are two mountings: clip-on, attached to the front of the container, and undermount, installed under the chassis. The reefer container has no engine of its own: away from the vessel and the terminal, its electricity comes from the genset, which weighs 621 to 830 kg without fuel; that weight is subtracted from the allowed cargo.

The exporter or the shipping line, depending on the product; the carrier receives it as an instruction and does not define it. That temperature is programmed on the thermostat of the refrigeration unit (the set point). State it in writing in your request, together with the shipping line’s cut-off, so we can schedule the unit.

Yes, it is the recommended practice. The truck’s refrigeration unit is designed to maintain the temperature, with limited reserve capacity to bring it down; if you load the product warm, the unit has to absorb that extra heat and may not keep up. Following the stowage pattern also matters, so that air can circulate. Whether the unit itself is pre-cooled or not is defined by your shipping line’s instructions.

The plate of a 40’ High Cube reefer allows 29,200 to 29,700 kg of cargo, but on the road what governs is the gross weight of the whole combination, with tractor, chassis, container and genset. In Costa Rica that cap is 39,000 kg with a 2-axle chassis and 45,500 kg with a 3-axle chassis. The real margin depends on the tare of the assigned equipment: confirm it with your GoTruck contact before loading, and check each country’s limits in weights and dimensions by country.

Shipping lines do not publish a figure that could be verified. It depends on the pallet size and on the stowage plan, and the height is limited by the interior red line, not by the ceiling: 2.40 m of usable height as a reference. Run the numbers with your pallet in the load calculator.

The tracking link shows the truck’s position and the trip milestones; it does not show the temperature. The temperature is controlled by the container’s refrigeration unit, powered by the genset, to the set point. If your operation needs temperature reports en route, say so in your request and we will review it before the first trip.

The driver reports to the monitoring center within a maximum of five minutes, and we tell you what happened, where the unit is and what comes next. With refrigerated cargo, that early notice lets you decide in time, with your shipping line, what to do with the product.

Both. On exports we take the container from the farm, the packing house or the plant to Moín, Limón or Caldera; on imports, from the port to your plant in the Central Valley. For refrigerated cargo that leaves by road for another country in the region, the 53’ reefer trailer is quoted on request: it is in dry vans and flatbeds.