Fueling reefer while reefer on?

This has been discussed here many many times---and inevitably leads to a huge argument.........
Simple fact of the matter---it's a bad idea to fuel with reefer runnin for many reasons......it's been a standard rule of thumb almost since the inception of reefers.....
and many argue BUT it is even more critical with todays newer more sophisticated reefers---due to the multipe redundant filters----especially the small screens added along the way from fuel pump to engine......
Besides the amount of time it takes to fuel a refer tank is nominal vs change in box temp.....
I know 9k of you will say you've never shut it off and never had a problem---only need it to happen once.......and they aren't easy to restart from a loss of fuel.....actually restarting after just runnin out of fuel is bad enough---but restarting after cloggin a line or screen or trap.....can quickly become a nightmare

 

The thing is I never paid much attention to the reefer when I fueled. Just normal driving is going to keep the fuel in that tank stired. My father told me many years ago to keep that tank topped off. Lots of time I would fuel a running tank 2 sometimes 3 times a day depending on temps. That is the best way to avoid fuel clogs. Another thing is how those tanks are made and maintained.

 

Okay, but I stated the reverse odd occurrence that will happen, too .... you turn them off and they have a control board issue and won't re-initialize. So, I'll take my chances with known odds, not shut it off, and not let them get low on fuel. Been doing it this way for years without any problems, but I HAVE had problems following a master switch off.

I have a feeling, whatever problems they may have had decades ago have mostly been resolved. But again, key is to NEVER allow them to run really low on fuel.

 

Your right. Im not going to get too deep into this. However I still think a driver should never fear flipping that master switch off. If a control board goes bad it was about to go bad anyway. What if you are pulling a reefer with a board that is about to fail that way and you drop it running at say General Mills and they unload the trailer and then a yard man goes and turns it on and it starts throwing codes. Everything mechanical will wear out and fail. I pulled reefers all over the US. I never remember losing a load because of a reefer that failed. Time yes. If we are only discussing a drivers time in a failure I am forced to agree with your position. However like I said. As a driver I chose to operate my reefer as I thought was the best. If it failed I got it fixed. This is the same principal as dropping a trailer with bad tires or air leaks. A good driver will never drop a problem into another drivers lap.

 

My dad owned one of those full service truck stops, if you could call it that! We had two diesel and two gas pumps, a nice three bay truck shop and two wreckers. That is where I learned how to drive and backup, talk about a different time, who today would let a kid blindside their rig into a spot or for that matter let a fuel jockey inside their truck at all. We had four spots just east of our fuel pump, had to pull past them and blindside in, otherwise had to pull out onto Route 209 and back into the other side of the lot to park if those were full. Talk about the liability my dad took having me do this stuff, then again I also worked the road and cleared wrecks with him at the same age.

Drivers would pull up to our pump, I would fuel, vacuum the rug, clean the windows and park the rig for them while they walked two doors down to the Village Diner for a meal. When they came back they would pay for the fuel, tip me (a 9 or 10 year old kid) and head out. If they needed any repairs dad would hook them up while they played the pinball machine in the back or took a nap on one of our beds in the bunk room. Good old days.

 

Now that's a great post.

 

I could also add that because most truckers in that time had little or nothing to do in that sleeper then sleep they had more contact with other drivers. Anybody that remembers trucking in the 50s and 60s remember this. I can not count the times I remember a bunch of drivers sitting around tables (not drivers counters like today) and sit and spend hours solving all the countrys problems and giving the waitress (good natured) hell. It was such a different time. The day they destroyed the old Goldmine Truck Stop I was actually watching some of it. Lots of memories were being put in those trash containers.

 

I understand but if I have a temp sensitive load on and I'm in the middle of nowhere and 500 miles from the nearest repair facility, I'm not taking unnecessary chances just because there's a 1 in a thousand chance I may cause something to get sucked up into fuel system. If you have fuel trash problems where fueling could be a problem, then it's going to become a problem elsewhere besides fueling IMO

When I'm near a means to get repairs or I'm not loaded with temp sensitive product, then I won't hesitate to shut it off, as long as I have a need to and fueling does not constitute a need in my book.

 

My point is and always has been I refused to pull a reefer fearing a failure. As a company driver it is THE COMPANY'S responsibility to insure my equipment is in proper working order. If I need to shut the reefer off it is going to be shut off. Regardless of the consequences afterward. It is the fear of shutting the reefer off I am reacting too. If the dang unit is defective you as the driver need to know this so you can transmit this to your employer. This job is hard enough as it is. If I can't depend on my equipment to function properly I honestly need to just stay on the porch.

 

I'm not going to make anymore comments on this topic because everything that can be said has been. Reefers fail. Most of the time when they stop it is because of clogged or frozen fuel. However as a driver I will not live in fear of any of my equipment not functioning. To the OP thanks for a great topic. I have a great BLT sandwich calling out my name. Bye!