Reefer for dummies

leave it running until empty
shut it off afterwards

if your running with a big carrier that monitors reefer settings
don't shut it off until you send empty call on elog

 

The box will stay colder (mostly) by turning it off once you're in the dock... air is drawn in on the bottom, chilled, and sent out the chute at the top. In the dock, you're pulling warm air into the bottom of the trailer at the gap between the trailer and the dock. Exceptions are hot days, and customer requests. Ice cream loads... don't open the doors until they are ready to unload.

Call first for instructions on loading... many places want the box pre-cooled before they'll load you. You'll have to get a feel for how fast your reefer will cool down on a given day depending on the temperature. Always arrive with a clean trailer. You'll get an idea on how picky given shippers are, but it's a good idea to get a washout before loading... especially if there's any blood in the trailer. Get a push broom for those days when you don't have time to get a washout.

 

*smacks forehead*....call your dispatch now and be honest with them. too much to cover on a forum last minute. DOT will be more than happy to explain if you hook that load.SIZE=2][/SIZE]

 

Yeah? See what happens to the bottom of a load on a hot day. That warm air will do very bad things to what's on the bottom.

 

just what transam told me to do
what do I know
I am a robot

 

Before using a new trailer, run a pre-trip on the reefer. It's an automated process that can be working while you perform a proper trailer pre-trip.

When arriving at a shipper: pre-cool your trailer by turning the reefer on 2 hours before loading.

When docking: Turn reefer off before opening the doors. This keeps the trailer cold longer.

 

2 hours? Only if you have a really crummy reefer unit. That's why you need to know how your equipment works. Except on 100+F days, I don't need to turn on my equipment until about 30 minutes before loading.

 

Fair point, I was running Wabash trash (and I wasn't paying for the reefer fuel so I didn't really care) . Just be sure your box is cold before loading.