Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.
Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance 
clarky3013:
Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance
Get them to write the temperature on the paperwork and sign it. Put red diesel in. Also check if they want it on continuous or stop-start. Be friendly to a shunter if you don’t know how to operate the fridge controls.
Always ask what temperature the fridge wants setting, ensure there’s enough load bars or straps. Ideally 1-2 bars/straps every 4 pallets / 6 cages. If in doubt ASK before you leave.
Little tip, if you tip chill and get a frozen reload, pre freeze the box to -25 when leaving the tip point, or you may be in for a long wait at the collection
Cheers guys, I’ll be full of questions when I do arrive tomorrow!
To be honest fridge use and settings should be taught to you by the company, as said ask questions and explain you have never used a fridge before and be nice to the shunter, they can be your worst enemy or your best friend. That does depend on how useful the shunter is on site of course and what they know.
If drivers are OK with me I will do anything to help them out, be an arse with me and I will make there life as difficult as possible for them lol
As said minus 25º for frozen is normal, again if all ambient get the fridge on as soon as possible once you empty to cool it down or you will be waiting to be loaded, defrost the fridge if your picking up an ambient load and the floor is frozen by turning the heat up.
In the warmer weather ask if you need to cool the second compartment too? usually anywhere between +5º and +14º for the rear compartment for ambient depending on what you are carrying.
Make sure the red diesel tank is full before you leave the yard and fill it back up when you finish, keep any eye on your temps throughout the day, you should have to give a temp printout to the customer when delivering so you will need to know how to do that and most likely sign the printout for them. Any issues call the TM immediately and ask for advice.
If you are doing multidrop then keep doors or the bulkhead open only for as long as you need and shut it back up as soon as possible to avoid defrosting the stock and causing ice to form.
Fridges are a pain if they are not used properly and they will break down, a manual defost once a day is also good practise although most units should be set to auto defrost usually every 1.5 to 6 hours in intervals depending on how they have been set up.
If it’s a frigo block unit it will only work with engine on and when you set off to first drop do a manual defrost and then one at mid day if you’ve got a drive between drops
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And if you are nighting out and you need the fridge on sometimes putting it on constant might be a better option as it’ll keep ticking over all night and you’ll probably sleep better as opposed to having it on stop/start all night, some people will tell you to turn it off but do that at your peril, you could disconnect the trailer and pull forward a few feet it does make the fridge sound quieter believe it or not.
Check oil and water levels on the fridge motor, no different than doing a car. Nobody ever does and if you find it keeps cutting out its usually because its low on oil or water.
Everyone keeps saying red diesel… It will run on normal diesel red is just the same but with a dye added for tax purposes so don’t panic if you can’t find a red pump. Just make sure it’s full and don’t trust the gauge get a cane and dip the tank.
Depending on what your carrying always ask what temp they want and make sure it’s on the paperwork.
Frozen can go stop start. Chill should if processed food ie Ham bacon etc should be cont between +2 or +5. Bananas run higher about +16 the same for plants / flowers etc.
Just ask where your loading if not sure.
nick2008:
Everyone keeps saying red diesel… It will run on normal diesel red is just the same but with a dye added for tax purposes so don’t panic if you can’t find a red pump. Just make sure it’s full and don’t trust the gauge get a cane and dip the tank.
Depending on what your carrying always ask what temp they want and make sure it’s on the paperwork.
Frozen can go stop start. Chill should if processed food ie Ham bacon etc should be cont between +2 or +5. Bananas run higher about +16 the same for plants / flowers etc.
Just ask where your loading if not sure.
Fill a fridge up on white diesel here and you will be in trouble, unless it’s extreme circumstances and the only option is white to keep the fridge running. Most hauliers with fridges will have a red diesel pump on site and unless you are away for a few days to a week a tankful should last in the minority of cases.
Red diesel is obviously much cheaper than white hence why haulage companies use it for fridges, unless of course it’s a hire truck that has no red tank and runs off the white diesel tank. Or as said like 3663 or Bidvest as they are now have fridges that run of the vehicle engine.
nick2008:
Chill should if processed food ie Ham bacon etc should be cont between +2 or +5.
Not necessarily Nick we have ours on start/stop .
simcor:
Fill a fridge up on white diesel here and you will be in trouble, unless it’s extreme circumstances and the only option is white to keep the fridge running. Most hauliers with fridges will have a red diesel pump on site and unless you are away for a few days to a week a tankful should last in the minority of cases.Red diesel is obviously much cheaper than white hence why haulage companies use it for fridges, unless of course it’s a hire truck that has no red tank and runs off the white diesel tank. Or as said like 3663 or Bidvest as they are now have fridges that run of the vehicle engine.
Diesel is diesel, red diesel is just the same but has a dye added to indicate that there’s been no duty paid on it, you can run your fridge on either. Fill your vehicle with red diesel and if caught you’ll be in deep ■■■■.
clarky3013:
Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t worry too much about temperatures and it being fuelled up or not, the most important thing is, do not park at services with the fridge being on, chose a lay by, or preferably an industrial estate away from other non fridge pulling lorries, as I’m sure the last thing you would want is to keep drivers awake all night, or disturbing their sleep and the next day finding out that one of the drivers you kept awake at services with your fridge on has killed your child or your parents because the driver was so tired he fell asleep behind the wheel.
hkloss1:
clarky3013:
Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t worry too much about temperatures and it being fuelled up or not, the most important thing is, do not park at services with the fridge being on, chose a lay by, or preferably an industrial estate away from other non fridge pulling lorries, as I’m sure the last thing you would want is to keep drivers awake all night, or disturbing their sleep and the next day finding out that one of the drivers you kept awake at services with your fridge on has killed your child or your parents because the driver was so tired he fell asleep behind the wheel.
Really?
hkloss1:
clarky3013:
Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t worry too much about temperatures and it being fuelled up or not, the most important thing is, do not park at services with the fridge being on, chose a lay by, or preferably an industrial estate away from other non fridge pulling lorries, as I’m sure the last thing you would want is to keep drivers awake all night, or disturbing their sleep and the next day finding out that one of the drivers you kept awake at services with your fridge on has killed your child or your parents because the driver was so tired he fell asleep behind the wheel.
What a load of ■■■■■■■■ !
blue estate:
hkloss1:
clarky3013:
Just been informed I’m doing Friday + Saturday with a night out for a company who run fridges out of Leeds. This will be my first time doing fridge work having only done ambient up until now.Is there anything important I need to know? Or is it really just as simple as making sure it’s fuelled up and that the temperatures on the correct setting?
Thanks in advance
I wouldn’t worry too much about temperatures and it being fuelled up or not, the most important thing is, do not park at services with the fridge being on, chose a lay by, or preferably an industrial estate away from other non fridge pulling lorries, as I’m sure the last thing you would want is to keep drivers awake all night, or disturbing their sleep and the next day finding out that one of the drivers you kept awake at services with your fridge on has killed your child or your parents because the driver was so tired he fell asleep behind the wheel.
What a load of ■■■■■■■■ !
I originally thought of, WHIT A LOAD AE PISH but ■■■■■■■■ will do just the same.
Take no notice of that.have done fridge work for yrs.try to park away from others so if they park near you then that’s their fault but remember that you have the same rights to be there as they do when you pay the parking.tell.anyone tells you they will turn off the fridge is tell them they will be the first you go for and break their fingers.we all have a job to do
I past a Reed boardal lorry on the A30 he had pulled up right to end of lay by then took tractor off and parked it nose tight against back doors of trailer so no bugger could get in his trailer and it shielded him from fridge noise
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mick.mh2racing:
simcor:
Fill a fridge up on white diesel here and you will be in trouble, unless it’s extreme circumstances and the only option is white to keep the fridge running. Most hauliers with fridges will have a red diesel pump on site and unless you are away for a few days to a week a tankful should last in the minority of cases.Red diesel is obviously much cheaper than white hence why haulage companies use it for fridges, unless of course it’s a hire truck that has no red tank and runs off the white diesel tank. Or as said like 3663 or Bidvest as they are now have fridges that run of the vehicle engine.
Diesel is diesel, red diesel is just the same but has a dye added to indicate that there’s been no duty paid on it, you can run your fridge on either. Fill your vehicle with red diesel and if caught you’ll be in deep [zb].
I don’t quite see what your getting at here? Yes you can run the fridge on either but any company would not be happy with using white for the fridge unless absolutely necessary.
I am quite aware of the difference between red and white diesel and their uses, our company would not be happy paying for white diesel for a fridge unit as it costs the business a lot more money to do that.
Unless you misunderstood what I meant by hire trucks that don’t have a red tank then obviously you fill it with white as red would be illegal.
Having said that we had someone put red diesel in the Adblue tank of a hire truck (true story but god knows how he managed to do it), that cost a fair packet to put right, and we had a driver put screenwash into the oil filler cap and drive it, that cost a fair whack too (new engine), not to mention the driver who rolled an 18t truck on the A14, or the newly qualified driver who turned a fairly new curtainsider into a flat bed for us. We do seem to have more than our fair share of numpties.
Going off on a tangent now.