Hey anyone out there know if there is a law banning refridgerated trucks running idle at the docks. Still new here and wondering what are the rules on driving reefers and do they allways have to have the engine running or just that power & fuel that that goes through the reefer unit?

reefer units have seperate cooling units on the trailer as apposed to idling the tractor.

i wouldn't drive refer till i got experience running dry van first....

OK, that's a good idea.....many headaches with the reefers and produce and grocer distributions I heard.....Plus noisey trucks when they park next to you at the truck stops...Allnight long with your little sleeper screen window open trying to catch a nice breeze on a nice cool spring/ summer/early fall night...and then the Reefer parks next to you and it's..killing me softly!!! HA

You MUST leave a reefer running ALL THE TIME if it has a load inside that has any sensitivity to temperature. If not, the entire load spoils - or melts - or freezes - and the entire load is toast - which costs the shipper a fortune. You cannot shut off a reefer most of the time. Thankfully, the newer ones are much quieter than the older ones but some of them are still really loud. We hauled reefer for a few months - no biggie at all.

So the TRUCK runs all day all night? If the truck breaks down and the fridge stops I guess you are 1st priority when you tell your company or dispatcher what happened and you need service?

No, no, no. The REEFER UNIT runs 24/7. It is its own little engine. You have to fuel it just like the truck. It is completely separate from the truck.

There are warning lights on the reefer units (usually) to let you know if anything's wrong and you just call your company and they tell you what to do about it. Long as it's fueled and kept in decent repair, it should be fine.

DO watch for companies that try to make YOU responsible for the load if something goes wrong with the reefer. It's not YOUR reefer or YOUR trailer so YOU shouldn't be responsible as long as you took reasonable care (kept it fueled, called in if a warning light came on and there was a problem, etc.)

OHHHHH....OK Thats why you have to keep the fuel in the reefer unit tank, do the company tell you how much to add like the fuel on trucks? And oh yeah I know the lights on that unit above the Glad hands at the top with all the little lights on the front of the trailer.

Running a reefer doesn't take any more skill than running a van. Same 53' box, it just has a smaller box with an engine on it on the front.
Most reefers DON'T run all the time. The new one's have a start/stop/cycle mode that turns the unit on and off at set parameters. Some shippers do want to run the reefer all the time, but even if the engine is running, it doesn't mean the unit is doing anything other than idling.
Some places want you to pre-cool the reefer and some places don't.
Some receivers want you to leave the reefer running while being unloaded and some don't.
The problem I have seen with reefers is the operators. Companies will throw van drivers on them and they have no idea what to do if something goes wrong.
Remember, you have to pre-trip the reefer unit just like your truck engine. It has fluids and filters and belts as well. That right there will solve a bunch of problems before they start.

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OK,that's a little more work with the Reefer....So I suppose when you do your trip inspection every 3hr or 150mi. or so ,you have to check your reefer motor and tank as well?..

You stop every 3 hrs to check everything????!!!! Why???!!!! I've never heard of that.