Donate a refrigerated truck when the route it ran no longer exists

Where donated reefer trucks come from

Food distributors, caterers, florists, produce haulers and meat processors. A route changes, a contract ends, or the business moves to a third-party carrier, and a working reefer truck has nowhere to go.

Restaurants and grocers send single units bought for deliveries that stopped. A reefer van or a small box truck sits behind the building for a year or two before someone decides to deal with it.

We also see them from nonprofits and food banks that upgrade. Those trucks tend to be well maintained and they sell quickly.

Driven if it runs, hauled if not

A registered running reefer truck is driven to the sale. The refrigeration unit does not need to work for the truck to move, and it does not need to be running during transport.

If the truck does not run it goes on a rollback or a lowboy by weight. Tell us whether it starts, rolls, steers and holds brake pressure.

Before pickup, empty and clean the box. A box that has sat with spoiled product in it is a real problem, both for the driver and for the sale, and it is the one condition that can turn a saleable truck into a liability. If that is the situation, tell us honestly and we will figure out whether it still makes sense.

What decides what a reefer truck brings

• Refrigeration unit and its hours. Make, model and hours on the reefer unit. A unit that pulls temperature is the headline. One that does not makes this a dry box truck with extra weight.
• Box condition and insulation. Delamination, soft spots in the floor, damaged door seals and interior scoring all matter, because they affect whether the box holds temperature.
• Chassis, mileage and emissions tier. Standard truck considerations, plus the tier affects where the truck can legally operate.
• Liftgate. A working liftgate widens the buyer pool meaningfully on a delivery truck.
• Single or multi-temp. A multi-temperature unit with bulkheads sells to a different and often better-paying buyer.

Makes and bodies we accept

Buyers name the reefer unit before they name the truck.

• Refrigeration units: Thermo King T, V and Precedent series, Carrier Transicold Supra and Vector, Hwasung, Tropicool, Kingtec, Zanotti, Mitsubishi.
• Chassis: Isuzu NPR and NRR, Hino 155 through 268, Mitsubishi Fuso, Ford Transit and E-series, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Ram ProMaster, Chevrolet Express, Freightliner M2 and Sprinter, International CV.
• Bodies: Morgan, Supreme, Utilimaster, Rockport, Johnson, Kidron, Hercules, and liftgates from Maxon, Waltco, Thieman and Tommy Gate.

Manufacturer names appear here so you can find your own vehicle. No manufacturer sponsors, endorses or is affiliated with this program.

The paperwork, and what you can deduct

A truck is a titled vehicle, so the title has to transfer. If it is lost, most states have a duplicate process and the state title rules page walks through yours. If it was financed, we need the lien release. A company-owned truck needs whoever signs to have authority to sign for the entity.

Giving Center sells the truck and your deduction is the gross sale proceeds, reported on Form 1098-C. A running reefer truck with a working unit usually clears $5,000, which brings the IRS qualified appraisal requirement and Form 8283 Section B. The appraisal is your expense and your decision. Between $500 and $5,000 you file Section A and no appraisal is needed.

If the truck came off a business balance sheet and has been depreciated, run it past your accountant before pickup.