First time pulling reefer

As long as we're not talking about "warm or hot" produce, it should not take more then maybe 15-20 minutes, maybe less assuming your unit and trailer is in good shape. But if you've opened the trailer door and let in a bunch of moist outside air, it may decide it needs to defrost soon after reaching the set point.

But the product loaded and it's temperature will have a big bearing on the best answer.

 

If the product was loaded at 33 degrees, it won't take long for the trailer to hold 33 degrees. If it was loaded hot, like at 70 degrees, it will still be pretty warm when you arrive at your destination. Monfort did that with meat loads all the time. I pulled into Krogers in Nashville with a load, fortunately, my fist stop receiver discovered that the meat under the top layer was 55 degrees, I turned the reefer down to 20 degrees and headed south. There were six other Monfort trucks sitting there when I arrived. They had been refused unloading until they got their temperatures down. Mine had cooled down enough that they unloaded me when I got there. Bear in mind that reefers are temperature maintenance units and not temperature creation units. On a hot day, you may not be able to cool the trailer down very much sitting in the sun.

 

Underground cold storages are great in the summer time when it's boiling hot out!

 

That looks like the underground caves in Independence, MO. Many a driver has left paint on those chalk colored walls.

 

I didn't know they had caves that far south in Missouri. The ones I'm talking about are right outside Kansas City.

 

I'm 99% sure Kraft near Springfield MO has caves too. They are almost parallel in longitude with Carthage.