12 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The smallest trailer in the lineup. It fits tight lots and loading areas when a small walk-in cooler or freezer goes down.
Birmingham, Alabama Refrigeration Trailer Rentals
Birmingham is a regional center in Jefferson County and Shelby County, and HHrefrigeration serves it with refrigeration trailer rentals, mobile kitchen rentals, and dishwashing trailers. Service is nationwide, which means Birmingham is covered from your first call.
Birmingham is a city in Jefferson County and Shelby County with about 196,644 residents (2023 Census Bureau estimate), and it is the county seat. Customers who rent in a place like this include hospital systems, universities, hotels and convention venues, large grocers, food distributors and processors, and stadium and event operators. Rent for a few days to cover a repair, or lease for months through a renovation, a harvest, a construction project, or a seasonal peak.
Our phone line, (888) 385-5513, answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If the need is planned, use the quote form below and tell us where in Birmingham the unit will sit.
Birmingham, AL at a glance
Numbers for Birmingham that matter when planning a rental: how big it is, how spread out it is, and how far the next larger place sits.
Winter storms in Alabama (December to March) can slow or close roads, so tell us your start date early and we plan the trip with the forecast in mind.
- Place: city in Jefferson County and Shelby County, Alabama.
- Population: 196,644 (2023 Census Bureau estimate), number 2 of 20 Alabama places on our list.
- Land area: 147 square miles, about 1,337 people per square mile.
- Elevation: about 597 feet.
- Birmingham is the county seat of Jefferson County.
- Nearest larger place we list: Huntsville, 88 miles north.
- Other places we list within 50 miles: 3.
How we plan getting a trailer to Birmingham
Every rental in Birmingham starts with the address, not a warehouse. Here is how a request for Birmingham, AL moves from call to cold storage:
- Call or send the form. Tell us the street address in Birmingham, what failed or what you are planning, and the temperature you need. Emergencies go to (888) 385-5513.
- We match the unit. A 12 ft refrigerated trailer suits tight lots and small kitchens, a 20 ft trailer holds more, and a refrigerated container is for bulk storage over longer jobs.
- Roads that serve Birmingham include I-65 and I-20/I-59. We confirm which approach suits a trailer, how the truck turns onto your site, and whether anything on the last few blocks is posted or restricted.
- Birmingham is roughly 88 straight-line miles south of Huntsville, Alabama's largest city on our list. A longer trip means we plan routes, weather, and delivery timing with more care, and we confirm both in your quote.
- We confirm power and placement. The 20 ft trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps with a NEMA plug, so have an electrician confirm your service. Pick a firm, level spot with room for the door to open and for the truck to reach it.
- Delivery and setup. On site, setup takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit, plus 4 to 6 hours if a ramp is needed or 5 to 15 minutes for stairs. Delivery timing, servicing, and minimum terms are written into your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Emergency refrigeration support in Birmingham
Emergency support for Birmingham runs through one number, (888) 385-5513, answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Have these details ready:
In Alabama, calls like this often follow hurricane and flood. Operations that cannot wait for the grid to return can rent a refrigerated trailer as backup walk-in space and keep inventory at holding temperature.
For official emergency information in Alabama, see Alabama Emergency Management Agency. We are not an emergency agency; for danger to life, call 911.
- The address in Birmingham (and the Jefferson County location if it is outside town limits).
- What failed: a walk-in cooler, a freezer, a compressor, or the power itself.
- How much product is at risk, and whether it must stay at 32°F (cooler) or near -5°F (freezer).
- The power available at the site and whether a truck can reach the spot.
- Keep doors closed until the unit arrives so the product holds its temperature as long as possible.
What drives cold-storage demand around Birmingham
Summers are hot and humid, with July and August highs averaging about 92F in Montgomery and Tuscaloosa and the Gulf Coast having the most humid nights. Winters are usually mild, with an average of about 35 days a year below freezing and only occasional snow, mostly in the north. Rain averages about 56 inches a year. The hottest stretch runs june to September, and the coldest december to February. Both extremes put stress on commercial refrigeration in Birmingham.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham was the area's largest employer (about 18,750 workers in 2011), and UAB Hospital is a Level I trauma center. Large hospital and campus food services need reliable refrigeration and can need temporary kitchens during outages.
Birmingham is headquarters to Regions Financial and Vulcan Materials, and home to two large soft-drink bottlers. Corporate and bottling operations rely on cold storage and catering.
Birmingham has been hit by two F5 tornadoes (1977 and 1998) and an EF4 in 2011, and has seen a record 10.3 inches of snow (March 1993). Severe weather can cause outages that lead to emergency refrigeration needs.
Hurricane risk in Alabama (July to October): Hurricanes Frederic (1979) and Ivan (2004) caused severe damage around Mobile. Storms that weaken inland can still bring heavy rain far from the Gulf. Gulf storms can cause widespread outages that lead restaurants, grocers and plants to need emergency cold storage and temporary kitchens.
Flood risk in Alabama (Tropical season, especially September): Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores on September 16, 2020 and dropped a peak of 29.99 inches of rain at Orange Beach, causing catastrophic flash flooding. Flooded kitchens and prolonged power loss can create a need for temporary warewashing and refrigeration.
After Hurricane Sally in 2020, over 71,000 households and businesses in Baldwin County lost power, about 95 percent of the local electric cooperative's service area; two days later the governor reported 103,000 Baldwin and 60,000 Mobile County customers still out. Multi-day coastal outages can leave restaurants, hotels and stores without refrigeration.
Food service and business in Birmingham
The kinds of operations that rent refrigeration in a city like Birmingham are hospital systems, universities, hotels and convention venues, large grocers, food distributors and processors, and stadium and event operators.
The Port of Mobile handles containerized, bulk, break bulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo and ranked 9th nationally by tonnage in 2014 with 64.3 million tons. Port and distribution activity supports cold chain and overflow storage demand.
The Alabama Department of Public Health regulates retail food, manufactured food processing, dairy farms and plants, and oyster, seafood and blue crab processing, and samples Mobile Bay oyster harvest waters. The state has an active processing and seafood sector that relies on temperature-controlled storage.
Birmingham customers use refrigeration trailers in three common ways: as emergency cover for a failed walk-in, as extra capacity during a peak (a harvest, a festival, a holiday week), and as temporary cold storage during a renovation. See rental prices for what each unit costs, or how to plan your site before delivery.
Demand also rises around events in Alabama: Mobile Mardi Gras (Carnival season from November to Mardi Gras (parades about three weekends before Fat Tuesday)); Chilton County Peach Festival (June). Large crowds and parade food vendors can use temporary refrigeration, kitchens and dishwashing.
Equipment you can rent in Birmingham
Refrigeration is our focus, and Birmingham customers rent the same four units as the rest of Alabama:
Many Birmingham requests pair cold storage with a mobile kitchen rental or a dishwashing trailer rental, so a facility can cook, serve, and clean up during a repair or renovation.
20 ft Refrigerated Trailer
Starting from $1,895 / month
The workhorse. A 20 ft trailer comes as a 32°F cooler or as a low-temperature freezer configuration, so you can match what failed.
20 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $2,995 / month
A stationary cold storage box for bulk product, built for longer projects, seasonal peaks, and renovations.
40 ft Refrigerated Container
Starting from $3,995 / month
The largest cold storage option. It takes pallets and bulk product for food distribution, disaster response, and large facilities.
Requirements for renting a refrigerated trailer in Birmingham
Renting a refrigerated trailer in Birmingham is simple, but a few items decide whether it runs smoothly on the first day.
Alabama's Emergency Management Agency, headquartered in Clanton, lists guides for severe weather, tornadoes, winter storms, extreme heat and floods, and runs the free ALert emergency sign-up. State emergency resources help businesses plan for events that can cut power to food operations.
ADPH's Food and Lodging Branch regulates retail food establishments such as restaurants, grocery stores, school cafeterias and food trucks, and investigates complaints. Anyone running a temporary kitchen or mobile food unit in Alabama falls under this branch through the local county health department.
- Customer type: commercial or industrial only (restaurants, grocers, healthcare, schools, hospitality, distributors, government). We do not rent to residential customers.
- Power: 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps for the 20 ft trailers, with a NEMA plug. Ask your electrician to confirm the circuit at your Birmingham site before delivery.
- Placement: a firm, level surface with room for the trailer, its door swing, and the delivery truck. Soft ground, steep slopes, and overhead lines are the usual problems.
- Access: send the gate or door width, any low clearances, and the best approach into the property.
- Permission: if you rent the property, get the owner or manager's approval to place a trailer. For food-safety questions, contact Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging.
- Paperwork: your quote lists the unit, the rental length, delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms. An inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Roads, routes, and access around Birmingham
Highways and routes tied to Birmingham:
Birmingham sits at about 597 feet above sea level.
Nearby places we also serve: Oneonta (34 miles northeast), Tuscaloosa (47 miles southwest), Clanton (48 miles south), Southside (51 miles northeast), Guntersville (66 miles northeast).
- I-65: Passes through Birmingham.
- I-20/I-59: Run through Birmingham; I-22 ends in Birmingham.
Rental prices for Birmingham at a glance
Rates are the same nationwide. Rentals start from $1,895 / month for a 12 ft trailer, and the price sheet prints a separate rate for 1-6 days, 8-14 days, 15 days to 1 month, and more than 3 months. See every rate. Delivery to Birmingham, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote.
More of Alabama and the Southeast
Birmingham is one of the places we list in Alabama, and Alabama is part of our Southeast service area. Browse the Alabama service area for every city page in the state, or the full service-area map.
Rental terms at a glance
Rentals run by the week or by the month, with short-term and long-term options, and we answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Setup on site takes about 1 hour for a refrigeration unit and about 5 hours for a kitchen or dishwashing trailer; a ramp adds 4 to 6 hours and stairs add 5 to 15 minutes. GPS tracking is possible on request. Delivery, setup, servicing, and minimum terms are confirmed in your quote, and an inquiry does not reserve equipment.
Cold storage down? Call now.
Emergency refrigeration rentals in Birmingham, AL.
If a walk-in cooler or freezer has stopped holding temperature, call now. Tell us your city and state, what failed, how much product is at risk, and what power is on site. Keep doors closed to hold the cold while we work out the right trailer or container for you.
Birmingham rental questions
Do you rent refrigerated trailers in Birmingham, Alabama?
Yes. HHrefrigeration rents refrigerated trailers, refrigerated containers, mobile kitchens, and dishwashing trailers to commercial and industrial customers in Birmingham and Jefferson County. Call (888) 385-5513 or send the quote form with your address. An inquiry does not reserve equipment; availability, delivery, and terms are confirmed in your quote.
How do I get a trailer if Birmingham is far from a major city?
We plan the delivery from your street address, not from a fixed point on the map. Birmingham is about 88 miles south of Huntsville, so we confirm the route, the final approach, and the timing with you in the quote.
What power does a refrigerated trailer need in Birmingham?
The 20 ft refrigerated trailers list 220V, single phase, 40 to 60 amps, with a NEMA plug. Have a licensed electrician confirm your service at the Birmingham site before delivery, and send the voltage, phase, and amps with your request.
Who do I contact about food safety rules in Jefferson County?
Start with Alabama Department of Public Health, Division of Food, Milk and Lodging (https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/foodsafety/). Rules vary by jurisdiction, so check with them before you place temporary refrigeration or a temporary kitchen.
Can I rent a mobile kitchen or dishwashing trailer in Birmingham too?
Yes. When a kitchen is down, we rent mobile kitchens from 24 ft to 40 ft and dishwashing trailers from 22 ft to 38 ft. Many Birmingham customers pair them with a refrigerated trailer so they can cook, serve, and clean up while permanent equipment is repaired.
What should I do before hurricane season in Alabama?
Know your site's power and placement details, keep our number ((888) 385-5513) handy, and call early if a forecast puts your walk-in at risk. Hurricane risk in Alabama is highest July to October.
Sources for local facts
Sources
Local facts on this page come from public sources. Population is the Census Bureau's 2023 estimate.
What to send for a fast quote
- The city and state where the unit will sit
- What failed and how much product is at risk
- Cooler (32°F) or freezer temperature needed
- Power available at the site: voltage, phase, and amps
- Access: gate or door width, surface, and where the unit will be placed
- How long you expect to need it
Prefer to talk? Call (888) 385-5513 any time.