Sleeping w/reefer hard to get used to it?

I'm good, thanks.

 

My experience I can sleep like a baby pulling almost any thermo king made in the last 10-15 years, start/stop continuous doesn't matter.

Carriers are terrible for noise, and the new ones are worse with the way they step up to fast idle/defrost. I have always found my company has more problems mechanically with Carrier, but my boss is hung up on "they cool better."

Maintenance is also key to how noisy or quiet they are. Nothing is worse than loose belts, rusted or missing exhaust clamps and rattly compartment doors.

 

Seriously, we have carriers and thermo Kings. I hate carrier, they are super loud. TK is so quiet sometimes I wake up to see if the reefer is running.

 

So far, about 3 weeks into it, the transition to reefers has been a total non issue. If I do happen to be awakened by the reefer now, I already don't even notice. TBH, I cannot tell you if it awakens me, or not, so I'm guessing not.

It's a bit of a switch for some other reasons, though. I was pulling flatbeds for about the last year, so the wait times for load/unload are a definite change of pace, because with flatbeds, at least the lanes I was running, a wait over a half hour was quite unusual.

Also, it's nice to be clean. Flatbedding is dirty work, and TBH, I wasn't getting paid enough to make it worth it, the dirty work, and also the lack of fair "accessory pay" for all the hours of securement and tarping tarping tarping. I won't miss that, at all. Ironic side note: I had been made an offer by a conestoga outfit that runs for LandStar, but it took LandStar so long to approve my application, that by the time they had their minds made up, I had already taken this job, and, oh yeah, almost 4 weeks off work.

But, I'm still quite happy with this outfit. The pay is certainly fair. The equipment is far more to my liking, that is, I have a full size sleeper instead of that ridiculous 36" sleeper that System had me in. My DM/FM/Dispatcher is really good to work with. He gives me my assignments, and the info I need, and other than me sending a daily check call macro, he really just lets me do my job. I'm not having issues with fuel routing. Also, Pride preplans, which I REALLY like. System didn't do that, they wouldn't plan me until I threw my empty call, which seems very counterproductive, to me.

I'm really happy, I really feel I made a very good move.

 

That sounds like Knight refrigerated with their Zonar units.

That was my first company, in my opinion their average mileage of 700/trip is too short to put up with reefer nonsense.

If you want to stay in reefer, put in your year, then find an outfit that has avg 1,000+ mile runs.

 

I agree!

 

Stay the #### away from Oakley Transport's reefer fleet (Lake Wales, FL).

Respect yoself: after a year or so -- try to sign up with a fleet that will consistently treat you like a professional (instead of a farm animal):

• Climate Express
• Marten Transport
• Holland Enterprises

-- L