Change of Plans

welcome to my world , i leave out tomorrow pulling a 53 foot reefer too. Never pulled reefer , but its team and my co is experienced so i expect to learn a fair amount ..... Backing tamdens is actually easier than spread because you not jumping turn point from front to rear axels and back and forth thru the backing process.... Good luck out there... There is plenty of advice available here and you have google and you tube with videos about reefer units.... Type in the brand of reefer unit and you will find lots of info..... Google became my new best friend , the world of info at my fingertips.............

 

You can do this. Driving a truck is driving a truck. Just practice a little before you have to back in somewhere. No big deal.Pay attention to your temps on loads, ask questions if you do not know.Get someone to explain and go over the reefer unit before you load the first time. Pay attention as to how they load the product, air needs to able to circulate inside the trailer. Stay calm, remember you are good driver, and all will be well. Good luck.

 

I'm don't believe backing a tandem or spread is "easier" or harder, just different. They track different. Nothing to worry about at all as far as backing.

Just make sure you park at night with at least 300 feet open on all sides in order not to disturb other trucks, LOL.

 

so how bout explaining pulping each pallet what kind of thermometer do i need??? will one like a meat thermometer work i have one that goes to 0 degrees but i am hauling reefer not freezer....

 

For starters, "reefer" can certainly mean "frozen". A "reefer" trailer can mean hauling refrigerated or frozen products.

 

get yourself an infrared AND pocket thermometer. There are links there to both types.


Whenever you get out of the truck after more than an hour, ESPECIALLY if you just turned on the reefer, hit defrost or else set the reefer to auto defrost every 1 1/2 hours.

When you first load that trailer, the reefer will be sucking a LOT of humidity out of the air. It needs to be gotten rid of by defrosting it. If you are loading or unloading daily, it will be an issue.

Pulping product means sticking your pocket thermometer and sticking it in the product. At other times, you can't actually stick the product and that's when I use the Infra-red thermometer.


Get an 18" wide, long bristle rough surface broom or a leaf blower for cleaning out the trailer of dry stuff.

Always have $50 cash for a trailer washout if you are hauling meat.

 

X2 on what MN driver said. Always, always, double check the fuel in the unit tank. Not much worse than running a unit out of fuel, with a perishable load. I seldom pulp every pallet, if they are coming from the same shipper. 2 or 3 to get an idea. As a rule of thumb. a reefer is made to maintain a temperature. Cooling down a hot load of produce can be iffy, so make sure you mark temperature on your bills as you sign for the BOL.If there is a problem, as your product is not at the required coolness when it is being loaded, get everyone involved to acknowledge the fact. Easier to prevent a problem than correct one.
Running a reefer is not rocket science, but does require a little more thinking than some other trucking. Just pay attention to what you are doing, and all will be well.

 

Just remember to open the doors before backing into a tight dock, and take your shoes off before crawling around in your bunk.

Also be careful climbing in the trailer to secure load bars on a frozen load when it's been raining.

Just put your thinking cap on. A little common sense goes a long way.