Checking your refer while off duty

Never even considered it. Even when doing work mid-trip.

Only time that would really have an effect (outside of the obvious regulations) would be for workmans comp for getting injured. But if you're not paying for that with your health insurance it wouldn't apply.

 

THANK YOU!

The load is far more important than the op’s home time, don’t take the load if you can’t sit on it.

i had two drivers lose reefer loads a few years back, one had a fuel pump failure and the other was tampered with. So new policy, can’t leave any reefer load, the driver has to sit on it.

 

Lol. And this mentality is why drivers get walked all over. And I don't say that to put down any particular driver but no, a load is not more important than a drivers home time. A drivers home time should be #1 to the driver, if the company wants the driver to be available at all times when they are scheduled for home time then they need to make that driver's pay go from a CPM position to a "salaried" position.

As for "don't take the load if you can't sit on it", many companies don't give drivers a choice on whether to take the loads or not. They give you a load and you HAVE to take it.

If I was OP I would tell them I won't be able to check on the load during my home time as I have made plans with my family for my regular 2 days off that I am scheduled to have each week (as OP says he goes home every weekend). Make sure they are alright with the load sitting wherever OP parks his truck with the reefer running, knowing that OP will not be able to check on the load. If the company is fine with it then okay, it is what it is and the company can figure out the expense if it goes wrong. Obviously fill the reefer fuel up as the very last thing on Friday before going home, but after that it is what it is.

That could very well mean that OP might lose some income if the load gets damaged or is ruined as a result of nobody checking up on the load. In that case the OP needs to let the company know that this is unacceptable to him to lose income as a result of the company's incompetence of putting a reefer load on him during his home time and that OP will be looking for work elsewhere if this continues to happen. Or just make a mental note of it if OP doesn't want to cause problems.

Look, it's one thing to check on the reefer temperature at any given time when you're OTR. That's one thing. But for home time, no, absolutely that is not acceptable for the driver to come check on it when it's 40 miles away from home like the OP said. So what if there's problems with the unit when he goes to check on the unit, that means that the OP is going to miss his kids ball game to tend to that damaged reefer unit? No, that's not acceptable, absolutely not.

Family first OP. Always put your family first. A drivers home time with his family is ALWAYS more important than the load, do not let anybody tell you differently.

 

Yet another example of "BE THE BEER"

 

I can't agree! Leaving a load in such a way is asking for trouble. The best thing is to avoid having to make this choice. A driver's livelihood is that job, what good is that job if the carrier develops a bad rep with losing loads either through theft of a reefer going out.

Hometime is just that, but load security is another factor and these things should not be mutually exclusive. Personally, I never kept a reefer load during my hometime. I also very rarely kept a loaded truck dry or reefer in an unsecured location. Common sense should rule the day!

A reefer load with a running reefer should NEVER sit unsecured for several days like this.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^says it all! You don't want that responsibility leave the trailer at a terminal! If that is not possible I suggest finding another job, because if you start keeping loaded reefers over hometime like this its not a matter of it you lose a load, its a matter of when!

 

It depends on where it is actually parked. If it's in a company yard, I would not check it. If it's parked in an area where the general public has access to the reefer buttons, I wouldn't be sleeping or enjoying my time off very well at all. I've never heard of it, but I'm sure people have intentionally pushed the "off" button, well just because some people are inherently rotten to the core.

If the load needs to be at 34 degrees, the reefer temp would rise very fast and the load would spoil, if someone pushed the "off" button. Also, mechanical problems can happen any time, any where with a reefer. You just never know until it does.

Honestly, I would not park a loaded reefer truck, unattended anywhere except the company yard. I would not drive out of my way, on my off days, to check it either.

The reefer can be monitored by the on duty DM and should be if it's a company truck. If something happens, it can be handled in the company yard with a phone call or two, in most cases.

 

I'm surprised reefer manufacturers haven't come up with a way to Bluetooth the reefer display to your phone...to update any changes

 

Thermo King has the TK Controller App on Android

 

Bluetooth has two problems both fatal in regard to the OPs problem. First, the very nature of Bluetooth requires an active "pair" between the unit and the driver's smartphone. Then Bluetooth has only a range of about 20 to 30 feet. Honestly, the only real way for this to work would be much like how QC works. Outbound traffic from the Truck uses established cell phone towers and inbound uses satellites, A reefer has an issue it would simply alert the company through a message and the company would do what is needed to fix it. This kind of system would be great because sometimes a driver is not where they can see that panel.