Hi been an owner driver for 12 years on mixers looking for a change have been offered fridge work with Coventry Reefers and Robsons of Spalding would appreciate any advice if anybody has had any dealings with these companies also any tips on working with a fridge
For ■■■■ sake make sure its always full of diesel and never try to skimp on the fridge maintenance. Things get pricey if temps are not right on arriving at the gatehouse.
Hi Sock puppet thanks for advice… speaking from experience ■■?
Ray wrote
Hi been an owner driver for 12 years on mixers looking for a change have been offered fridge work with Coventry Reefers and Robsons of Spalding would appreciate any advice if anybody has had any dealings with these companies also any tips on working with a fridge
We work for Robsons a lot on loads up to Scotland they are a good family firm when you look in there yard you can see the opperation they run everything is spotless
Ahh fridge work = sleep thru the day and night shifts
Klunk started on fridges in 1975 and still on them 
I know of a bloke who is a subbie (traction) for a big cold store. He seems to be happy enough with the rate, they keep him busy but he has to run on a ‘midnight to midday’ basis. He could keep the motor running for the other 12hrs shift (i.e. enough work) but can’t get a driver that will work it.
I guess it’s an awkward shift - either way you’re not on ‘days’ but you’re not on ‘nights’ neither!! 
ray spooner:
Hi Sock puppet thanks for advice… speaking from experience ■■?
Yep. Not as a O/D but the amount of loads we had to reject when I was @ Tesco Crick in the warehouse.
Its the food rules that do it, once it arrives at warmer than -18C it goes in the bin.
i have to say the up keep of the fridge is the biggest problem of fridgework… like sockpuppet said last thing you need is fridge braking down with full load on it! many of times its happend to me…
I don’t think I’ve ever had a fridge break down on me. Except for running out of fuel, and they are easy enough to bleed if you carry a 10mm open-ended spanner.
Basic rules are:-
- The LAST thing to do before climbing in the cab to leave anywhere, is to check the temperature setting.
- Within 30 minutes of any journey, STOP and check the temperature setting - that way, it ain’t too far to go back.
- If you stop ANYWHERE and go out of sight of the vehicle, before getting back in, check the temperature setting. Some people are mischievous enough to have changed it for you.
- Before arriving at a destination, STOP and check the temperature setting - if it hasn’t gone through the gate, there’s still time to get a fitter out to it.
You eventually develop ‘sense’ of whether the fridge is running, and whether it is running correctly or not.
They are very sensitive to all fluid levels being correct but a list of Fault Codes are normally displayed on the inside of the door.
You haven’t indicated whether you would be using your own fridge, or just supplying traction.
Thanks Settdani and Krankee
was thinking of using my own fridge but undecided
whens best time to turn fridge on before or after loading ?
Welcome and thankfull for any advice as this part of transport is a knew ball game to me
ray spooner:
whens best time to turn fridge on before or after loading ?
Depends whether it’s frozen or chilled, and whether it’s meat or veg. With meat, people tend to want it pre-chilled. Saying that, if you’re loading in the open with a pump truck, little point in having the fridge running as it will simply ice up and go onto ‘defrost’ mode.
When ‘tipping’, always leave the fridge running until you KNOW that the warehouse have opened the bay door. Also be aware that some ‘third-party’ loads may have a temperature recorder hidden within the load. Checking for O/D’s that have switched it off during part of journey to save a few pence on fuel. Companies like M&S will not only check the temperature of the load within the trailer, they will also check the ‘core’ temperature of the product.
It is probably best to lease a trailer until you know whether you are going to like the work. Lots of waiting around. And are you going to need a ‘single’ or ‘twin’ fridge - dividing door so that you can accomodate two temperatures? Hanging meat? Bearing in mind that most places will not allow MHE’s into trailers with roof hooks.
Buying second hand is fraught with dangers. Whilst the number of operating hours may be a good indication, what it doesn’t tell you is whether it has been used on chilled work in the UK or been thrashing its guts out doing frozen to Spain.
The last time I spoke to Rikki, I mentioned that I might do an article on ‘Fridges’. Perhaps I should, I hadn’t realised I knew so much 
(or rather, that to many, it is an absolute mystery).
I was once in a queue at a Tesco RDC and a driver came up saying that he had picked the trailer up from the docks and he wasn’t sure that the fridge was running. When I checked, it was still set for an electrical feed (having been on a ferry). No matter, by the time he got through the gate, it was down to temperature. 
Dring the unit down to temp before you go on the dock door even if you are empty. This is especially true if you are going to a large cold store (frozen).
When you open the trailer the warm air rushes out from it and into the warehouse creating snow
Makes the warehouse ops happy but a bad thing for MHE traction.
However when we are loading turn it off. Nothing worse than a fridge unit trynig to pull 400,000sqft of warehouse down to -25 on its own. Like loading in a ■■■■ wind tunnel and makes it a lot colder than if you just turn it off.
most rdcs like asda and tesco ask you to turn the fridge of when you go on the bay! just make sure if you are kept waiting you keep eye on temperature! as you know you can sit there awhile.
Thanks everyone for your advice has been a great help.
Sorry to put you under pressure Krankee …but I look forward to reading your article on Fridges as I’m sure many other’s will to
Dont forget when you see a gap between 2 trucks to park in between them…especially when overnighting…