"Protect from freezing" dry van experiences.

We haul warm water in a reefer (live fish), and even when we go through Meacham at -26, it's above 65 degrees inside the reefer. 40,000 lbs of liquid holds an enormous amount of BTU's.

In a van, no insulation, but think of it as your garage at your house. Even uninsulated, it's usually 10 to 20 degrees warmer than outside. This load is in boxes, and then the bottles are maybe even inside little boxes. Lots of air, lots of dead space, and if the boxes are corrugated, that's pretty fair insulation by itself. If it was room temperature when loaded, it would probably take three days to get to 30 degrees, even in a van, unless it's below zero outside.

 

I have used a ready propane heat er when truck is parked would be stupid to try it .moving .... shouldn't have to worry unless its under 20 degrees . the heat was for sensitive produce where anything under 32 does damage its got to get pretty cold before the jars start crack in ....... had a load of ragu freeze on me in the 80s was just slushy but got rejected was company driver so didn't cost me

 

Run through low 20's overnight and the sample battle on a catwalk is still as liquid as a glass of scotch. Sunny day in Chicago today. 27F dropping to 12 F overnight. They'll take it tomorrow morning - did not care about it freeze or not at all. I think I was the only one concerned there. I don't understand it, quite honestly...this "not their problem" attitude. Anyway, left it idling till tomorrow. I think, I'll be all right.

 

They get so much in they know when at what temp it will start to matter. And if they guess wrong, well that's what insurance is for. I mean it's not like it's their money or any thing...

 

This all ended well - unloaded with a clean BOL. I might have overreacted too. I am still not sure, if a claim on a damage due to freezing would be justified, if there is no mention on the rate confirmation that the load needs such protection. I don't want to find out on my own skin though. All I know is that if a receiver puts the load back on the trailer, it is your problem. For a solo owner even one major cargo claim, despite clean record, could mean end of journey.

 

Did you bottle on the catwalk ever freeze...?

 

LOL. Never. I used it on my cheese omelette today, after I got back home all relieved. I guess salt and vinegar made the trick.

 

I learn so much in this forum

 

You had a right to be concerned. Glad it worked out.

I had one last week like this. Showed up at shipper to load some kind of energy drink. Dock guy says, "aren't you supposed to have a refer?"

CHROB posted it as dry van, ratecon said NOTHING about temp control. So, I had to make a calculated decision. I knew the temp wasn't going to drop below 32 degrees, so I ran with it. $1,000 for 270 miles.

No issues....

 

Quick info from:

Is Your Beer, Wine, and Liquor Safe in the Freezer?
" ...
The exact freezing point of vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey and liqueurs (as well as wine and beer) is dependent on its alcohol by volume (or its proof).

• The lower the alcohol content, the warmer the freezing point.
• The higher the alcohol content, the colder the freezing point.

Type ABV Freezing Point Notes and Examples
The Freezing Temperatures of Alcohol
Beer 3-10% -2 C (28 F) Not recommended for the freezer beyond a quick chill.
Wine 8-14% -5 C (23 F) More than an hour or two in the freezer and your are putting the wine at risk.
40 Proof Liquor 20% -7 C (22 F) Includes many low-proof liqueurs like Irish cream. If left in a really cold freezer too long, these may get slushy, but this is rare.
64 Proof Liquor 32% -23 C (-10 F) A liqueur like amaretto and a flavored whiskey like Fireball would fall in this range. These should be okay in the freezer.
80 Proof Liquor 40% -27 C (-17 F) Includes most standard base liquors like gin, vodka, whiskey, etc. You're clear for the freezer!
"
Of course, when we're talking about a truck load, the product mass will extend the rate of temp dropping inside the trailer by a lot.