Checking your refer while off duty

I was delivering a load of ice cream to a place in Henderson, NV a while back. I was about 10 miles out and I looked in my mirror and didn't see the green light of the reefer display. The ice cream was set to -20F and it was over 100F outside in the summer sun of Nevada. I pulled over and the reefer was OFF, it had run down the engine oil and shut itself off! Anyway, I didn't have any extra oil, so I drove it to the consignee and in the course of the short trip the temp had risen to 5F. The cutoff temp for them receiving the load was 8 or 10 degrees, not sure which one. They did sign for it and I parked it in their lot, I then immediately walked a block or two to the local convenience store and bought a quart of oil for like $6, the price of convenience! Walked back and promptly put it in, even though I didn't have to, as the load was no longer my responsibility. They have a fuel guy that puts diesel in the reefer tanks, but he doesn't have any engine oil on hand. So the lesson to be learned is to always have extra oil in the truck when you pull reefer.

 

I've run reefer for about a year and a half. If this was my situation, I'd probably go by once daily to check the reefer unit and load. However, I would bring it up to bossman that such a situation shouldn't happen again.
If, the same situation looks to arise again, I'd immediately get with boss, dispatchers, whoever, and inform them that I would NOT be able to check on load during my hometime and would not have any responsibility in that regard. And, ask for further guidance, preferably in a message that creates a record instead of an oral phone call that could turn into a he said/she said situation if things go wrong.
As I understand it, this time, you got into this situation before you comprehended what would be required to monitor the load. So. I'd chalk it up to inexperience and check on the load (and no I wouldn't bother logging any duty time, even if it included sending a message that you checked on it and it's OK.). It is the responsible thing to do. However, after this incident I'd flip that responsibility onto the company by explaining it and ensuring they understand, I won't be doing this again. If they put me into such a situation, it's on them, not me.
That's what I would do.

 

Well that’s bs.

a driver takes the responsibility of the load first, hometime takes a back seat because it is a professional, not just a 9 to 5.

here is the thing, the driver let’s the system crap out, or the load gets damaged or it disappears, that can be consider load abandonment, the driver can in many cases be fired because off duty doesn’t mean relieved of duty. Home time isn’t relieved of that responsibility - PERIOD!

In a bunch of cases of negligence, the driver should be fired.

drivers get walked over because too many are clueless to what the laws, regulations and company policies are. Too many drivers are lazy and treat this as a job and many cause their own problems.

as it was pointed out, if you take a load like this, then it is a weekend with the truck.

 

Let's say you have 25 thousand pounds of chicken. Do the math. That load is going to be worth between $27,000 to $75,000+ depending on the kind of chicken. Regardless of why. I would hate to be making that call to my carrier telling them I lost that load because of a reefer failure. As I said before, if you make a habit of taking a running reefer home and leaving it unsecured it not a matter of if but of when you lose it.

^^^^^me too!

 

I agree fully. Saying a driver is "being walked over" because he takes responsibility of a load that he is pulling while off duty, or on home time is BS. I mean what if you had to take a 34? That is "off duty." Just as much as taking home time. This is a profession where you are really always "on duty" even when you are off. Is a police officer "being walked over?" Because they are considered on duty 24/7/365. To that driver. I ask. You want that cop to tell you, "sorry it's my weekend off." When someone has a gun to you or your family? We all know the answer to that question.

 

If you don't put your work first, then you aren't putting your family first.

If you manage to park that reefer so close to home that you can hang out there instead of your sleeper, then great. But you're still under load. Sleeping in your bed at the time is just a lucky convenience.

But solving all of this is simple. Remember D.A.R.E.? They always said to "stay away from reefer, kids". If you follow that advice, you won't have to ask these questions!!!

 

For the record, you SHOULD ALWAYS check the reefer!

 

Update. I checked the refer both days & it stayed consistent at 34 degrees. I got in the truck early this morning & delivered the load.
I did find a good spot to park my truck within a mile of my house. If this weekend/refer situation happens again then I’ll park at this newly found spot.


Thanks for all your input & suggestions,

 

Just check on it .I would.no need to on duty either.I park mine at my house do it right there

 

They can. The company I work for hauls specialized refrigerated pharmaceuticals. If the trailer throws a code, stalls or has a temp variance about 5 office people will be calling you and making sure all is well. They will know the nearest Thermo King and call ahead for you.
They also set up ‘geo-fences’ and will be alerted when the trailer enters a certain area. We have a run where I bring the trailer to a border town. A Mexican driver takes it to a Mexican destination. They know when it crosses the border going and coming back over….they know when you get to a receiver or when your stuck in traffic too
A off duty TK service call is $550 just for them to show up… plus whatever the repair is.