Do I have a problem?

and just in case it gets rejected, get the local food banks number and talk to them.

 

All them places are big on incoming food safety, not so much of what they put on the shelves.

 

It did

. Rate confirmation specified 20 to 26 degrees continuous

 

I would run that one on continuous at 26...

You get a feel for what you can cheat a bit and save some reefer juice. I wouldn't try to cheat with one that if it sinks too much below 32 you risk freezing damage or if it goes above you risk bacteria growth. Even though the guidelines say bacteria doesn't begin until 40+.... I have my doubts.. Chicken should be paying well so it shouldn't really be an issue. I know some people say save everywhere you can I say save where it is a more reasonable option. Almost all brokers want it on continuous for all loads. You can save probably 500 hours a year on your unit if you are smart about it.

Can get away with commodities like potatos onions apples(sometimes) oranges.....all your heartier goods.... leafy greens and any kind of berry including cherries always continuous. It helps if you have a reversed temp readout on the corner so driver can see it at all times and watches the weather he is going through and knows his reefer unit. For example apples are happy between 32 and 40. If traveling where it is known to be well below 32 for entire trip you can put the unit on 37 or 38 and it will stay between 32-33 and 37-38 so long as your change is temp turn on is 5 degrees. That can also be set. Now if it is F cold you should have plugged all 4 drain holes so arctic air cannot enter at all and damage the lower boxes. Buy them from home depot or Lowes. They also save you money when doing frozen.

I don't see any issue with a claim for this load considering the time of year. Should be fine that way just apologize like crazy and promise it will never happen again.

 

Even if it doesn't specify mode, it usually indicates mode.

Let me set up some examples:

Maintain 34 degrees. 34 continuous.

Maintain 34 to 38 degrees. 36 continuous.

Maintain 30 To 40 degrees. 35 start/stop.

Maintain below 0. -5 start/stop.

Basically, if your reefer is working right, in start/stop mode, it will turn on to correct temp when the load gets to about 5 degrees from set temp, then stay on until it gets to nearly 5 degrees on the other side of set temp.

If you do not have a BOL allowed temperature range of at least 10 degrees, stay in continuous mode.

It might be possible to set more aggressive or less aggressive reefer operation, but every reefer in good condition that I have watched keeps to within 5 degrees of set temp.

When hauling some produce, you will have BOL temps of 32, 33, 34 degrees. Those temps are always continuous temps in my experience.

Berries, for example, freeze at a bit colder than 32. If you set them for 32 start/stop, some of the load might freeze when the reefer drops the box temp to 27.

TLDR: Go by the bills, but also go by what your reefer can do. You have to understand both.

 

A properly functioning reefer should not swing it beyond the set point once it reaches a differential of 5 of either side of set point. Otherwise it would run forever.

Also, with these newer units, there is a "produce range" from about 31 to 36- where your unit will try and kick air out at exactly the set temp. So if you put it on 33- you are getting 33 maybe 32 degree air- even if you run cycle and the box warms to 37 and fires up. It does this because if it were to push out maximum cold capacity in order to reach set point as quickly as possible it will freeze the top layer or 2. Old units did this. Now if you are outside of the produce range it won't do it. Blast in the cold. For example look at a 28 degree fresh meat load on cycle vs a produce 34 load you run on cycle. The 28 will get to 28 much faster from 33 than the 34 will get back to 34 from 39. Try it.

 

Isn’t 26F continuous gonna freeze some of that fresh chicken load...?

I know nothing of this reefer......

 

If you kept it in there long enough it would. With meat you won't actually damage it until ice crystals begin to form in the meat, which takes a long time at 26. When I get done delivering it the blood that has come out of the boxes and is in the floor grooves isn't totally frozen it's more of a slushy paste. So the chicken will be fine. It is a balancing act to keep it cold enough to preserve it while not so cold as to damage it but nowhere near enough warm enough to possibly have bacteria growth. Rule of thumb is do not eat it if it has been at 40 or higher for 4 or more hours.... could make you very sick.

By definition "fresh" chicken is chicken that has never been stored below 26F while frozen is....far below that. I think they recently changed it from 28.

 

That is one of the reasons you should always get a temperature of your load, do not just look the outside boxes, sometimes something can be hidden inside a pallet. You can not change the temperature of a load much once it is loaded, the outside product can be changed a bit and the temp spy can pick up when you open your doors when docking but cover your rear, get a good pulp reading, have it noted on the bol and make sure your chute is in good working order.