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Haulin' nanners

Discussion in 'Refrigerated Trucking Forum' started by gearjamin, Jan 21, 2012.

Page 1 of 3
  1. Jan 21, 2012 #1
    gearjamin

    gearjamin Light Load Member

    169
    111
    Oct 23, 2010
    SE Michigan
    0
    Hi drivers! Learned something this week and thought I'd pass it along. I delivered a load of bananas and the load required the reefer to be running constantly and set at at 60* F. Outside temp was in the mid 20's. Trip duration 12 hours. When I delivered, the receiver noticed that the pallets
    were loaded side to side against the walls. After he unloaded my trailer he used an electronic thermometer and stuck sample cases on the side of the pallet that was against the wall and then the side that was toward the center of the trailer. The difference in the temp was 11 degrees. He said that in cold weather months it's best to load the pallets down the center of the trailer and not against the cold walls to maintain an overall constant temp in the bananas. I thanked him for the "lesson". He told me he'd been at this for 30 years and he picked up a few things along the way and was glad to pass them along. They accepted the load. The temperture variance was not enough to be a problem. Be safe!
     
    gearjamin, Jan 21, 2012
    gearjamin, Jan 21, 2012
    #1
    Grubby, Farmerbob1, joserojas and 5 others Thank this.
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  3. Jan 21, 2012 #2
    keepntruckin

    keepntruckin Light Load Member

    208
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    Dec 27, 2011
    Lexington,NC
    0
    Only problem I see, is if you load down the center,, you will not get as many pallets on, thus,, shipper would be paying for less of a load.
     
    keepntruckin, Jan 21, 2012
    keepntruckin, Jan 21, 2012
    #2
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  4. Jan 21, 2012 #3
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    the road less travelled
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    Centering the pallets just means keeping them from touching the walls, it works with bananas because they are pretty stable side to side.

    Most freight is staggered, first against one wall then against the other side.

    Cold can make bananas dark colored. They usually install corks in the drains to keep cold air from coming in through them during wintertime shipping.
     
    25(2)+2, Jan 21, 2012
    25(2)+2, Jan 21, 2012
    #3
    Farmerbob1, VisionLogistics and CondoCruiser Thank this.
  5. Jan 22, 2012 #4
    CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

    19,726
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    Apr 18, 2010
    Tennessee
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    ^^^ Good info! Yes stagger the walls. A nanner warehouse should know that.

    If you're new to nanners gearjammin, 60 is the ultimate happy temp. With weather extremes you wanna adjust your box temp to compensate. 20's or lower I would run at 62 and it will pulp 60. 30's I might go 61. Allow for daytime/nighttime outside temps also running south/north. Hot summers you go the other way and run 58. Customers will allow you a 2 degree variance from 60. I usually pulp 59.5-60.0. In weather extremes, keep the doors shut much as possible. Nanners don't like being shocked. I never lost a load, but I've seen many rejected.

    I once sat up in StPaul, MN all weekend on a load of nanners in -15 weather. -30 windchill with two other drivers. I kept it on 64 the whole weekend and pulped 59.7. Their loads got rejected because they didn't compensate. Luckily there is a Banana Nut bread bakery up there that bought their loads. But that run made me feel good that mine was the only one accepted. :)
     
    CondoCruiser, Jan 22, 2012
    CondoCruiser, Jan 22, 2012
    #4
    Farmerbob1, slowpoke89, gearjamin and 2 others Thank this.
  7. Jan 22, 2012 #5
    pullingtrucker

    pullingtrucker Road Train Member

    1,185
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    Dec 21, 2008
    Fostoria, Ohio
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    Not all banana warehouses care or know of this practice. I loaded at Diamond State Warehouse down in Wilmington, DE a few weeks ago. The are pretty much dedicated to produce and have no idea how to load wagons. They set the first pallet on against the wall and I nicely asked them to load it all in the center...they had a confused look on their faces.
     
    pullingtrucker, Jan 22, 2012
    pullingtrucker, Jan 22, 2012
    #5
    Farmerbob1 Thanks this.
  8. Jan 22, 2012 #6
    CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

    19,726
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    Apr 18, 2010
    Tennessee
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    I didn't know they shipped up there. I always got them out of Gulfport. But I guess it makes sense if the business is up there and to feed that area. The few times I picked up in that area it was always brocolli.

    I'm always amazed how many truckloads one grocery chain will go through of one item in a week.
     
    CondoCruiser, Jan 22, 2012
    CondoCruiser, Jan 22, 2012
    #6
    Farmerbob1 Thanks this.
  9. Jan 22, 2012 #7
    25(2)+2

    25(2)+2 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    I've picked up bananas at Newcastle (Wilmington), and pineapples at Del Monte under the Walt Whitman bridge at Gloucester City, NJ. The one at Newcastle isn't at the port so you need not have a TWIC or pay the escort fee to get in. It's run as a transfer dock and the bananas are reloaded from reefer containers into OTR trailers pretty much load for load. There are others we go to that I haven't been to, I get lots of long distance shag/peddles to the windy.


    The one at Gloucester City is a royal pain. Anywhere you have ocean freight and docks, you have bananas and other tropical fruit coming in from the south.

    We hauled everything that was back haul back to the upper Midwest or Chicago, usually to Chicagoland but sometimes to a Wal-Mart DC. It's close to the same distance to the Gulf ports
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2012
    25(2)+2, Jan 22, 2012
    25(2)+2, Jan 22, 2012
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  10. Jan 30, 2012 #8
    flight379

    flight379 Bobtail Member

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    31
    Jan 13, 2012
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    At one time, Chiquita only imported their bananas into two ports in the entire country, Gulfport, MS and Wilmington, DE. I'm not sure if that is still accurate today.
     
    flight379, Jan 30, 2012
    flight379, Jan 30, 2012
    #8
  11. Jan 30, 2012 #9
    FLATBED

    FLATBED Road Train Member

    6,665
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    Sep 14, 2008
    Back behind the Wheel and out of the OFFICE
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    For good portion NE USA and Ontario / Quebec Canada majority of the bananas are now shipped to Philly, Camden or Wilmington then distributed by truck.
     
    FLATBED, Jan 30, 2012
    FLATBED, Jan 30, 2012
    #9
  12. Feb 12, 2012 #10
    ShortBusKid

    ShortBusKid Heavy Load Member

    955
    1,269
    Dec 5, 2010
    Vegas
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    I've had strawberry shippers load the pallets away from the walls and put airbags between the walls and the pallets to improve airflow. Seems like this would be a good idea with bananas as well in the winter.
     
    ShortBusKid, Feb 12, 2012
    ShortBusKid, Feb 12, 2012
    #10
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