No doubt you’ll be loading or unloading with a pallet truck yourself sometimes. Watch out for multi compartment trailers with bulkheads which you may need to secure and more so those with a roof mounted chiller unit near to the back doors, these can make it difficult getting tall pallets (esp Melons) past and even worse, as at some Aldi RDCs which have narrow dock levellers.
Again if self-tipping don’t deliver the wrong product on a split load, it should be marked but often it isn’t. If collecting (even for trans-ship in the yard) don’t load a tall pallet behind very short one, either swap them around or get the sender to put their short pallet on top of several empty pallets to increase its height.
If loading yourself, Pallets of raspberries or strawberries will freeze if they are loaded so that the top layers are up against the front chiller outlet.
Beware of melons, the boxes collapse and the rotten ones make the floor slippery. Wear gloves or you will get cold burns from cages, load-lok poles or anything metal. Get the warehouse men to operate the dock leveller and shutter.
biggriffin:
And the amount of new friends you will make, every night when you park up.
Being a fridge dragger who’s not dragging fridges at the minute - I don’t mind parking beside one at night . I like the sound of a Carrier or a Thermoking singing its song all night long .
It’s so relaxing right? thought I was the only one who can sleep next to a fridge.
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And the amount of new friends you will make, every night when you park up.
Being a fridge dragger who’s not dragging fridges at the minute - I don’t mind parking beside one at night . I like the sound of a Carrier or a Thermoking singing its song all night long .
It’s so relaxing right? thought I was the only one who can sleep next to a fridge.
If your load is sercured with cups and bars as opposed to ratchet bars, make sure you put the cups the right way round. ie, the ‘latch’ on the cup facing you. You’ll only make the mistake of putting it on the side of the load once, as it’ll take you ages to get the bar out.
With fruit and veg, it’s most important to check what temperature it’s supposed to be at. You may have two compartments with different temps.
When you do a collection it may say on the notes, but it’s always good to ask the warehouse staff. It makes it look as if you know what you are about for one thing. Quite a lot will be “ambient” but in very hot or very cold weather, they may want you to set a temp anyway. +4 degrees is common.
Like every walk of life there are dodgy people about, farmers included. Your company should know who may try to pull a fast one. A fridge will not bring the load down to temperature, it will only keep it at the temperature it was at when loaded. On hot days especially, the packhouse may not have chilled freshly picked fruit right down to temperature so an ifra red thermometer gun may be a good idea. If part of the load is rejected on temperature (when the supermarket has over ordered) it will be down to your company unless the fridge is fitted with a temperature recorder.
This also means leave the fridge running while it is being unloaded.
cav551:
This also means leave the fridge running while it is being unloaded.
Opening up the…
Debate about fridge on or off when tipping or loading.
I only run the fridge when site rules dictate I should. To my mind, running fridges on the bay is just a waste of diesel and ruins what could be a nice quiet kip on the bunk. Most of Aldi’s site require the fridge off when tipping.
I will pre-freeze for loading frozen but chill, I just back on, get loaded, start the fridge and go.
LazyDriver:
If your load is sercured with cups and bars as opposed to ratchet bars, make sure you put the cups the right way round. ie, the ‘latch’ on the cup facing you. You’ll only make the mistake of putting it on the side of the load once, as it’ll take you ages to get the bar out.
I don’t mind a fridge running next to me as it will drown out any road traffic noise from horns or boy racers with back firing exhausts and silly billy drivers swapping trailers with the radio on full blast, slamming cab doors and a full breakdown of their day or night in a very loud conversation when they can blatantly see cab curtains drawn over and drivers trying to sleep !
But if the OP is disturbed by the fridge motor running and trying to sleep , there’s the option of dropping the trailer legs , pull the pin , remove all your Susies and pull your tractor unit forward but too far to enable another tractor unit to steal your trailer overnight or in the day on your daily rest period if working nights .
Or same as above put position the tractor unit at a 45 degrees angle as you won’t feel the fridge engine vibrating, ooooh Mrs Matron !!!
cav551:
This also means leave the fridge running while it is being unloaded.
Opening up the…
Debate about fridge on or off when tipping or loading.
I only run the fridge when site rules dictate I should. To my mind, running fridges on the bay is just a waste of diesel and ruins what could be a nice quiet kip on the bunk. Most of Aldi’s site require the fridge off when tipping.
I will pre-freeze for loading frozen but chill, I just back on, get loaded, start the fridge and go.
On bay fridge is off. Google saintsbury fire Charlton, or Bedfordshire Growers fire, both caused by fridges running on the bay.
Some companies insist you keep the fridge running whilst on a bay with the doors open. That might be fine for chilled but it’s plain idiotic for frozen as all you are doing is making any icy floor for their unloading/ loading staff to slip over on resulting in claims against them.
Tarmaceater:
I don’t mind a fridge running next to me as it will drown out any road traffic noise from horns or boy racers with back firing exhausts and silly billy drivers swapping trailers with the radio on full blast, slamming cab doors and a full breakdown of their day or night in a very loud conversation when they can blatantly see cab curtains drawn over and drivers trying to sleep !
But if the OP is disturbed by the fridge motor running and trying to sleep , there’s the option of dropping the trailer legs , pull the pin , remove all your Susies and pull your tractor unit forward but too far to enable another tractor unit to steal your trailer overnight or in the day on your daily rest period if working nights .
Or same as above put position the tractor unit at a 45 degrees angle as you won’t feel the fridge engine vibrating, ooooh Mrs Matron !!!
By dropping the trailer & pulling forward your taking up valuable space in that lay-by that others drivers may need to park up for there break or daily rest , Reed bordal being the worst offenders , bloody d/d dumped every where , bloody selfish with only thoughts for themselves , no one else
Even at the services the bloody idiots in some cases take up 2 parking bays , if they can’t stand the noise look for another driving job which doesn’t involve fridges & being selfish gits
That’s a good point you have raised about taking up space in a lay by Dozy, it’s like these tea and burger van owners who tell me to move my lorry out of the way as I’m blocking the tea van from the passing trade but he doesn’t own the land there or the lay by .
Next time you stop at one of these places, have a look to where he uses the loo and the availability of hot water to wash his hands after a number two !
If there is no toilet there, where does he go then ?
If he can’t wash , then he is serving your bacon bap in hygienic conditions , for these two reasons I boycott them and never return.
Tarmaceater:
I don’t mind a fridge running next to me as it will drown out any road traffic noise from horns or boy racers with back firing exhausts and silly billy drivers swapping trailers with the radio on full blast, slamming cab doors and a full breakdown of their day or night in a very loud conversation when they can blatantly see cab curtains drawn over and drivers trying to sleep !
But if the OP is disturbed by the fridge motor running and trying to sleep , there’s the option of dropping the trailer legs , pull the pin , remove all your Susies and pull your tractor unit forward but too far to enable another tractor unit to steal your trailer overnight or in the day on your daily rest period if working nights .
Or same as above put position the tractor unit at a 45 degrees angle as you won’t feel the fridge engine vibrating, ooooh Mrs Matron !!!
By dropping the trailer & pulling forward your taking up valuable space in that lay-by that others drivers may need to park up for there break or daily rest , Reed bordal being the worst offenders , bloody d/d dumped every where , bloody selfish with only thoughts for themselves , no one else
Even at the services the bloody idiots in some cases take up 2 parking bays , if they can’t stand the noise look for another driving job which doesn’t involve fridges & being selfish gits
Poor Dozy, he was nearly at his 15hrs, his fanta and Ginsters was calling, he pull into his favorite layby,and ye-gods a fridge dragger had dropped his fridge, and Dozy couldn’t park, what should he do!!
Just need voice over man, so it’s a good commentary…
Can’t wait for next week’s instalment of " Ginsters+Fanta"
As the tv commentator man says on the Stobart , Train Truckers and all the other lorry documentaries : Will he make it back in time on this epic voyage?
Find out in the next episode.
I think Dozy should apply to be an Ice road trucker , that will be good on frozen lakes and seas .
