NATDA Magazine Nov/Dec 2019 NM_Nov2019_Final | Page 68

A fter an extensive history of manufacturing premium walk- in coolers, freezers and cold storage doors, the team at Southeast Cooler Corporation realized something in 2003. While there were plenty of companies that needed coolers built into their business, there were many, like those in the ice industry, that needed them on the road, too. So, the company, who has now been in business for over 40 years, took to the challenge. “Polar Temp came along as something, mainly, in the ice industry,” says Polar Temp’s Brian Dallman. “We built freezers for ice equipment, so we started building trailers just for ice delivery. The ice guys wanted to get as many bags in as they could for deliveries. They’ll pile them full. We had to make a trailer that was going to take all that weight.” 68 A quick estimation of 260 cubic feet of eight to ten-pound bags of ice equates to thousands of pounds. Each Polar Temp trailer comes with dual Dexter axles, brakes and a ruggedly constructed frame to hold up to varying weight demands. While the original intention was to create something unique to its’ ice customers, the company soon realized they had something far better. Polar Temp realized they could open the temperature range and rapidly increase the number of industries the trailer would help. Seafood companies, beef producers, ice transport, micro green sellers and more all had a use for a mobile refrigeration unit. “When you think about it, it’s really a refrigerated trailer,” Dallman explains. “It opened up a lot of avenues.” NATDA Magazine www.natda.org