Can I rent a refrigerated trailer when my walk-in fails?

Yes, and often the same day. Several commercial refrigeration companies keep refrigerated trailers for exactly this, delivered and set up at your premises, rented by the day or for longer. Most do not advertise it prominently, so it is worth asking even if you cannot see it on their website.

What do I need on site for a refrigerated trailer?

Somewhere flat and reachable by a vehicle towing it, and power. Some units run on standard 110V, which makes siting far easier, while larger ones need more. Ask about the power requirement, the door height for your trolleys, whether shelving is included, and how far the trailer will sit from your kitchen door, because staff will be walking that distance all shift.

Your Walk-In Died: Renting Temporary Refrigeration

Published 08.03.2026. Written for restaurant operators and kitchen managers.

A walk-in failure is not really an equipment problem. It is a countdown on everything inside it, and the invoice for the repair is usually the smaller number.

Most operators do not know that a refrigerated trailer can be parked outside and running the same day, rented by the day, delivered and set up. We only found out because verifying listings meant reading a hundred companies’ own websites, and several mention it quietly on a page nobody visits. One buries it under food trucks.

When it is worth it

A walk-in down with stock inside. The obvious one. Compare a day of trailer hire against the value of what is warming up.
A repair waiting on a part. Sealed-system work and control boards can mean days, not hours. That is the gap a trailer covers.
Planned refrigeration replacement. Renting through the changeover means you do not have to run down stock first or close.
A kitchen refit. Cold storage disappears for the duration; a trailer keeps you trading.
Seasonal peaks and events. Cheaper than buying capacity you need three weekends a year.
Storm and outage planning. Some units run on standard household voltage, which matters when the building supply is the thing that failed.

What to ask before you agree

How soon, realistically? Same day is common but not guaranteed. Ask when it will actually be running, not when it leaves the yard.
What power does it need? One company here rents units running on 110V. Others need considerably more, which can mean an electrician before you have cold storage.
Where will it sit? It needs firm level ground reachable by the towing vehicle. Measure the distance from your kitchen door, because staff walk it every service.
Is shelving included? Some include it. An empty box is a poor cold room.
Freezer or cooler, and what temperature range? Confirm it holds what you need, not just that it is cold.
Delivery, set-up and collection: included or extra? One company delivers free within 60 miles. Others charge from the first mile.
Daily, weekly or minimum term? A three-day repair on a weekly minimum changes the maths.
Who is responsible if the trailer fails? Ask before you need the answer.

Do not overlook ice

A failed ice machine closes a bar as effectively as a failed cooler closes a kitchen, and bagged ice bought daily gets expensive faster than operators expect. At least one company here rents ice machines as well as trailers, which is worth asking about rather than assuming the answer is no.

Practical points people get wrong

Move product once, not twice. Get the trailer on site before you start emptying the box, so stock goes straight from one cold space to another rather than standing on a prep bench while you wait for a delivery. Log temperatures through the transfer, because your due diligence records should show the cold chain held rather than showing a gap. And if a claim is likely, tell your insurer early: a documented transfer into hired refrigeration is a far stronger position than a photograph of spoiled stock and an estimate of what it was worth.

Two things worth checking on the phone before you agree a delivery. What power the unit needs, since some run on ordinary 110V and others want a dedicated supply. And where it will actually stand: a trailer needs a level spot, room for the delivery vehicle, and a cable route that does not cross a fire exit or a doorway your staff use with both hands full.

Companies whose own sites describe rental

Found while verifying listings. This is not a complete list of who would do it: several of these mention it on a single page, so plenty of other companies may have a trailer without saying so. Ask.

Arctic Restaurant Service & Supply Owensboro, Kentucky Refrigerated trailer rental, short or long term, with free delivery within 60 miles.
Colonial Food Service Equipment Huntington, West Virginia Mobile refrigerator and freezer trailers, rented daily or for extended periods, delivered and set up. Runs on 110V with shelving included.
Elite Refrigeration & AC Charleston, West Virginia Refrigerated trailer rental and ice machine rental, short or long term, with maintenance and sanitising.
Fugh Refrigeration Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Portable walk-in cooler and freezer trailers for rent, for events, renovations or while a unit is down.
Heartland Restaurant Equipment Services Fort Wayne, Indiana Leases ice machines and reach-in coolers, stated on their own site without terms or pricing.
Phillips Ice Service Bowling Green, Kentucky Leases commercial ice machines, alongside sales of new and used equipment.
Valley Commercial Service Cincinnati, Ohio Arranges temporary refrigerated trailers through a partner when a walk-in cannot be repaired the same day.

Working out whether the underlying repair is worth approving? See what walk-in repairs typically cost, and our downtime cost calculator puts a number on the hours you are trying to cover.