Bay Area Refrigerated Transport
Two of our four branches sit inside the Bay Area, in Fremont and South San Francisco. That is why a STAT reefer job here is a 90 minute commitment rather than an estimate. We run frozen through cool chain from -20F to +65F, dispatch is staffed 24/7/365, and same-day refrigerated work moves on a dedicated vehicle rather than being consolidated onto a line haul.
Two branches inside the Bay Area
Carriers running the Bay Area from a single yard in Stockton or Tracy will quote you the same 90 minutes and then lose an hour to the Altamont. Ours are already here.
Cold chain lanes we run daily
These are recurring refrigerated lanes rather than a coverage map. If yours is not listed it is very likely still routine for us, and dispatch can price it on the call.
| Lane | Typical freight | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco to SFO cargo | Biologics, clinical trial kits, reagents | 2C to 8C |
| Oakland and Hayward to Peninsula | Food service, produce, prepared meals | 33F to 41F |
| Salinas Valley into the Bay Area | Fresh produce and floral inbound | 33F to 41F |
| Fremont and Milpitas to San Jose hospitals | Specimens, blood products, pharmacy | 2C to 8C |
| Napa and Sonoma to San Francisco | Wine, specialty food, chocolate | Controlled ambient to +65F |
| Bay Area to LAX and Southern California | Frozen and chilled pallets, FTL and part load | -20F to +41F |
Bridges, corridors and why timing quotes go wrong
Refrigerated freight in this region lives or dies on route choice, and most carriers quote a straight line distance. A Fremont to San Rafael run crosses either the San Mateo or the Dumbarton and then the Richmond bridge, and picking the wrong one at the wrong hour costs you 40 minutes with the doors shut and the unit cycling.
Our dispatchers route around the known pinch points rather than discovering them. The 880 through Oakland between 3pm and 7pm, the 101 southbound past SFO in the morning, the 92 approach to the San Mateo bridge, and the Caldecott in either direction at commute time. On a chilled load an extra 40 minutes is usually survivable. On a 2C to 8C pharma run with a validated shipper, it is the difference between a delivery and an excursion report.
This is also why the two branch locations matter more than the fleet size. Most refrigerated failures in this region are dispatch failures, not equipment failures.
SFO air cargo cold chain
Our South San Francisco branch is minutes from the SFO cargo buildings, which makes airport recovery and delivery of temperature-controlled freight straightforward. All Marvin drivers are TSA approved and hold a Security Threat Assessment, which covers collection from and delivery into airport cargo facilities. Typical work is inbound biologics and reagents recovered from a flight and delivered into a Peninsula or South San Francisco lab the same day, and outbound clinical shipments tendered to a forwarder ahead of a cut-off.
Equipment and insurance
Reefer trucks hold -20F to +65F. Smaller cold chain consignments move in validated coolers with phase change packs in a sedan or cargo van, which is the right tool for a single vaccine case and costs a fraction of a reefer truck. Cargo vans take up to 2,000 lbs, box trucks up to 10,000 lbs with a liftgate where the dock needs one, and full truckload frozen runs on a tractor and 53 ft trailer up to 48,000 lbs. Full detail sits on the California refrigerated transport page.
| Auto liability | $1,000,000 |
| General liability | $1,000,000, $2,000,000 aggregate |
| Cargo liability | $1,000,000 |
| Refrigeration breakdown | $100,000 |
| Workers compensation | $1,000,000 |
The refrigeration breakdown line is the one to compare. Standard cargo cover pays out for collision and theft and commonly excludes product warmed up by a failed reefer unit, which is the loss that actually occurs. Certificates are issued on request and additional insureds can be named.
Frequently asked questions
Which Bay Area cities do you cover?
San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Richmond, San Mateo, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Livermore, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek, Concord, San Rafael, Novato, Vallejo, Napa and the surrounding towns. Two branches, one in Fremont and one in South San Francisco, cover the whole region without a bridge crossing on most jobs.
How quickly can you collect a refrigerated shipment in the Bay Area?
STAT is 90 minutes for pickup and delivery together. Standard same-day collection is normally faster in the core Bay Area because we already have vehicles in Fremont and South San Francisco rather than dispatching from the Central Valley.
Can you recover temperature-controlled freight from SFO?
Yes. Our South San Francisco branch is close to the SFO cargo buildings and our drivers are TSA approved with a Security Threat Assessment, which is what allows collection from and delivery into airport cargo facilities. Inbound biologics recovered from a flight and delivered to a Peninsula lab the same day is routine work.
Do you serve the South San Francisco biotech cluster?
Regularly. It is one of the reasons the SFO branch exists. Work includes 2C to 8C movements between labs, contract manufacturers and airport freight, clinical trial material to sites, and reagent runs where a delay wastes an assay rather than just annoying someone.
Is same-day refrigerated freight consolidated with other customers?
No. Same-day refrigerated work goes on a dedicated vehicle carrying your freight only, direct from collection to delivery. No terminal cross dock, no waiting for a load to build, no doors opening at other stops. Scheduled multi-stop routes are the exception and the sequence there is agreed with you in advance.
Do you run recurring Bay Area cold chain routes?
Yes. Fixed daily and weekly lanes with a named driver and a set delivery window. Common patterns are hospital and clinic specimen rounds, pharmacy replenishment, food service distribution and inbound produce from the Salinas Valley.
What temperatures can you hold?
Minus 20F to plus 65F on the reefer fleet, which covers frozen, 2C to 8C cold chain, chilled fresh product and controlled room temperature. Smaller consignments travel in validated coolers with phase change packs.
Do you cover Napa, Sonoma and the North Bay?
Yes, including wine, specialty food and chocolate into San Francisco and out to the airports. North Bay jobs are routed with the Richmond and Golden Gate crossings in mind, which is where most timing quotes for this area go wrong.
Need a reefer in the Bay Area today?
Give dispatch the pickup and delivery ZIP codes, the hold temperature, the weight and the timing. You get a price on the call. Dispatch is staffed every hour of every day.
Call +1 (323) 673-7397Request a quoteRelated services
- California refrigerated transport, statewide lanes and full equipment detail
- Temperature controlled delivery, validated coolers for smaller consignments
- Diagnostic and lab specimen courier, clinic and hospital rounds
- San Francisco courier and freight
- Oakland courier and freight
- San Jose courier and freight