Reefer broke down with product inside.

Good luck to you.
Too bad you aren't hauling greens.
Then you could go to the ice house and have them blow 20 bars over the load.

 

Why not just rent a swing unit? Deliver the load and bring it back.

 

Had the same happen a few years ago, broke the crank. TK sold me a used (3yr old) reefer unit and had it installed in 2 hours. Paid $10K, for the whole unit, not just a motor. They also had good units 7-8 years old for $5-$7K.
Worth looking around.

 

You need to get yourself to a Carrier, Transicold or whatever is the manufacter of your reefer unit asap without fail. And then sit there until the techs repair your reefer unit.

The last time I had a reefer fail on me was in Grand Junction CO on 70. I had two choices, Salt Lake City or Denver, Since the load was bound to Denver downtown to a little mexican Grocery store (Cash on delivery) we were to run the 70 from the west into Denver prior to sunrise throwing away the logbooks that say stay in Grand Junction till morning. We pulled into west denver, carrier got the disconnected trailer, saved the load which was then coming up into the 50's from the mid 40's set point. Delivered later that afternoon downtown south central denver.

There should be a list or a small book inside your tractor with a list of all Carrier, transicold etc of whatever reefer units your company runs and a list of all cold storage inside the USA capable of providing temperatures you require. if memory serves you can buy a list of that kind of industry at a Staples or Office Depot on DVD for 10 bucks complete with addresses and phone numbers.

When a reefer quits, immediately head to the nearest tech shop. Deal with the details later as you go. Losing a load due to equiptment failure or even better a failure of carrier etc to send a man to emergency repair you is a big deal, and a big problem.

 

Sounds like you got a break for now. FWIW 20 tons of product won't suddenly warm up, so no matter what when the unit quits you have several hours to work with. Just don't waste too much time. The exception is if the shipper put a temp tattler in the trailer (versus buried inside the product). If they did, it's usually noted on the bills if you didn't see it when you sealed the doors.

No cold storage will take you without already having an account set up. Maybe you can find an exception with a small outfit that isn't a national chain. You'll usually only see those near borders or ports, where drayage carriers cross dock.

Likewise on renting a reefer trailer. If you can find anyone that has them, it's a process to get one. You can't just walk up to the counter with your ID and a credit card like u-haul.

If it's a total unit failure, you might have better luck finding a dealer that can sell you a used unit and install it. Provided the welds on the mounting bolt nuts are solid, the unit can be swapped in an hour or so without needing to get at the inside of the trailer. Of course that means you'll need to have around $6-8,000 laying around in your cupholder or couch cushions. I don't run that area, so have no recommendations on that.

Good luck and I hope you can get the product delivered before it quits again. Maybe put the unit on continuous run if the engine failure is causing it to not start well.

 

Sorry, but you are done. Contact broker and your insurance agency asap. Hope you have reefer breakdown coverage. And make sure it is diagnosed as a mechanical breakdown and not driver negligence, along with getting everything in writing from every party involved.