Running with JCT, Part Deux

I'm in Beaumont tx. I laughed when they told me they wanted the -10 reefer on cycle(it was on continuous when I picked it up)...like it matters, it never shuts off.

 

I'll be there around 0700 myself. Tell me your truck number, so I can "accidently" hook your coyote crusher with my dot bumper and drag you around walmart. I always enjoy having a friend when I'm making a victory lap.

 

Mine is set at 28 start/stop. But during the late afternoon, it goes to continous automatically as part of the product shield programming.

 

Got out of orientation yesterday and under my first load. So they just quickly covered simple basic reefer stuff in orientation but I'm sure there is a ton of unwritten little tricks of the trade.

For instance, the guy says 'go out on the yard and find trailer xxxx and set it to minus 10 degrees and driver 2 hours over to the shipper'. Understand the trailer is 90 inside from sitting all day.

Go to gate and the guy says it's better to set at 36 degrees then when I get backed up to dock set it to -10 it will drop real quick otherwise the thing will frost up and they won't load it if I try to go from 90 - minus 10 in one shot then they won't load it for sure.

Any more of those little tricks please share this is my first foray into reefer business. I chose JCT partly because there is some protection with the handholding (as opposed to going out and straight up buying a reefer and getting own authority without knowing the reefer world) and the proforma lease payment (wanted to get a second truck anyway) that is a walk-away so there is protection there as well as opposed to buying a used one off a lot someplace that might break down with no walk away option.

 

It will ice up on the inside of you go straight to -10 from a fresh washout. The moisture wouldn't have time evaporate before freezing. Some places won't load with a layer of ice on the floor. If they do...makes it harder on the forklift to get out of the trailer with no weight on it.

You can go to -10 with a completely dry trailer with no problems. I have done it many times.

Sometimes you have no choice because the next pickup is only a few miles away from where you were. I usually try to get the trailer washed out the day prior to pickup whenever possible. This gives the trailer plenty of time to naturally dry and air itself out.

Welcome to JCT and the wonderful world of reefer.

 

OK that makes sense. In orientation they just showed us the Defrost screen but did not explain when or how it should be used.

Another quick question for anyone-- are you aware if it is OK to use the big inverter that is tied into the APU while driving down the road? What i would like to do is during the last hour or so of the day, is to cook up some soup in a crock pot this way when I pull over, dinner is done.

 

Defrost is an automatic function controlled by the reefer computer.

Using the apu during the last hour shouldn't hurt. Now, all day every day probably would hurt the batteries.

 

The APU won't run when the truck isrunning. I'm saying can I use the inverter that is bolted to the floor while driving to power up a crock pot.

 

Ah. You have the TriPak. Yes, you can use the inverter while the truck is running.

 

My truck is gonna grow spider webs been in door going on 6.5 hours at Walmart in Ochelata lol