Do some drivers not care? recently I parked at the Swindon truckstop and a driver parked his truck opposite and then went off in a cab, his fridge ran on and off all night. I saw him arrive back in the morning, jump in his cab and leave.
Shortly afterwards I parked on a small industrial estate in Newark and was followed in by a tractor unit. I got talking to the driver who told me he had left his trailer at the truckstop with the fridge running and was going back to collect it at 5am. I asked him if he thought that was fair, to which he replied that he didn’t care if they cut his electrics to the fuel as long as he got a nights sleep.
I pulled reefers myself in the past and just switched off the fridge at night and just dropped the temperature for awhile first thing. I most certainly wouldn’t try to sleep with the unit running.
what do you think?
I think that far too many people have a go at reefer drivers who are just trying to do the job the same as everyone else.
Every truckstop I’ve been to, reefers have been put at one end in their own group. If you’re unlucky to end up parking near it then it’s just tought luck. We all end up having to at some point or other.
Nowadays with temperature logging, turning it off on a night isn’t always an option, especially with the more major companies.
I’m not having a go at reefer drivers in general, I had 8 years at it myself.
I could have mentioned the time a driver left a trailer full of cows parked across the front of sleeping drivers at Lesmahagow while he went into the cafe for more than an hour, it was like being in the middle of a field.
bertiebassett:
I’m not having a go at reefer drivers in general, I had 8 years at it myself.
I could have mentioned the time a driver left a trailer full of cows parked across the front of sleeping drivers at Lesmahagow while he went into the cafe for more than an hour, it was like being in the middle of a field.
You could have asked him to mooooooooooooooove it 
I drive a fridge and always try to be considerate as to where I park but sometimes we have no choice … we have to sleep too. Luckily, my fridge doesn’t keep me awake. BUT the one thing we cannot do is turn them off especially at the moment!!! The temp is going up too quickly even at night. We had a frozen load rejected last week cos the clown of a driver parked two minutes away from the drop and turned the fridge off cos it was keeping him awake!!! When he went into the drop, it was still only at -5!! The Boss has gone mad cos its down to us and now we have to show him our thermographs each time we go in the yard.
I guess its just part of the job really 
You certainly cant expect drivers to turn off fridges,but also its a real pain when you end up next to one. Years ago when I would have nights out on my rigid,if I got to a truckstop quite late & there was nowhere for me to go, save for an incey wincey gap down by the fridges, Id always get told to park there by the ‘traffic martian’ (oops, I mean traffic marshall! 
).Their theory being that as my chariot was only small, I was of no consequence
T.■■
Do you turn your fridge of at night at home■■?
I think not 
kitkat:
You could have asked him to mooooooooooooooove it
Nice one 
Personally when i went wif my uncle we jus didnt care because at the end of the day if u dont like it …move !
now when we went into annon up in scotland to deliver we stoped outside the village n turnt it off cause we parked outside the place to get tipped …but in Services n so on …nah it was left on …anyway lol u cant exactly turn it off
When I rolled with a frigo, I always turned it off or parked it somewhere else. I would never plonk it next to a sleeping driver.
All those who have said 'sod ‘em’ and ‘tough’, deserve to have them turned off for them and face the consequences with the boss.
Having said that, if you park next to a running fridge you can hardly complain.
BTW, no I don’t turn my fridges off at home, but they don’t make a hell of a racket and I don’t park them round next door’s.
Salut, David.
Geoff:
Do you turn your fridge of at night at home■■?
I think not
Errrrrrrr thats a bit thick.
my fridge at home does’nt have to cool a 40’ trailer and it does’nt run on diesel either,and tends to be ever so slightly quieter,and it dont keep the neighbours awake all night
Some people
Last time I did a spell on the fridges, at the end of each shift you had to hand in a temperature print-out (from the fridge) and apart from when the doors were open (i.e. unloading {into a cold store anyway} etc) you had to keep the fridge running. Turning it off was an ‘offence’ against company rules/procedures.
A little common sense and co-operation from MSA’s and Truckstops would not go amiss, why not reserve an area for fridges away from other sleeping Drivers.
It would only need three or four spaces with a notice that they are priority for fridge motors but can be used if all other spaces are taken on a first come first served basis.
Conor:
I think that far too many people have a go at reefer drivers who are just trying to do the job the same as everyone else.Every truckstop I’ve been to, reefers have been put at one end in their own group. If you’re unlucky to end up parking near it then it’s just tought luck. We all end up having to at some point or other…
Dont you think its more important that someone who has to do maybe a 15 hour shift with a 10 hour drive the next day should be made to have a good nights kip?.
I hate reefers and personally think they should be banned and replaced with something , dont ask me what i,m not an engineer but someone somewhere must have the ability to come up with something a hell of a lot quieter than a 2 litre dieasel engine screaming its ■■■■■■■■ off all night.
Its not an easy option.and as an ex fridge puller i can sympathise…i have parked in the past out of the way of other trucks only to have a brit pull up next to me and ask are you gonna leave that running all night…er …yes…thats why im parked out of the way. A lot of fridges have a recorded device that tells whether the fridge has been turned off or not..and if a driver had a choice i am sure he would turn it off..but he cannot..and yes..they are very annoying..but its all part of the job..i get annoyed when im next to sleeping drivers and i have to turn my ignition on and off to operate the electrics…with air valves operating at the turn of the key…a bad design fault on most trucks…and very annoying to other drivers…bit like a group of fellow drivers…who have a late start…and have a few beers together…outside my window while i`m trying to sleep…all part of the job.there is no simple answer…but to grin and bear it…
well as an ex reefer operator, I would sack anyone who turned the fridge off and shudnt have. Sorry guys, 1) for Health and Safety of the food and Salmonella which we all could get if food is not properly frozen/chilled 2) Massive Bill given by Company 3) Loss of Contract 4) Bankruptcy!!
My Dads old company in the late 70s took a fridge load of hanging beef from Ireland to Germany , driver didnt leave the fridge on at times when he should have!!!, meat was rotten when delivered, load refused, massive massive bill given to company which resulted in the Company eventually going bust!! So
please think of the consequences of your actions!
Whilst I appreciate some drivers find fridges running annoying when trying to sleep, you have to appreciate thats its for the Health and Safety of us all with the load he has on.
There would be oputrage if a load of yoghurt was sold by a Supermarket and was found to be rancid because some truck driver didnt like the fridge running next to him as he was trying to have kip so he turned it off.
Come on fellas! Dont start switching fridges off 
Now If I was parked next to a load of Cattle, I would be getting the horseraddish out and thinking of a nice beef sarnie!!
Spardo:
All those who have said 'sod ‘em’ and ‘tough’, deserve to have them turned off for them and face the consequences with the boss.
Because of this I started writing down the registration numbers of the two adjacent wagons. If I found my fridge turned off, I reported them.
For the hypocrites amongst you, when you find yourself with only a gap next to the reefers there is a simple solution. Go in nose first so your cab is at the opposite end of the trailer than the fridge motor.
Conor:
Spardo:
All those who have said 'sod ‘em’ and ‘tough’, deserve to have them turned off for them and face the consequences with the boss.Because of this I started writing down the registration numbers of the two adjacent wagons. If I found my fridge turned off, I reported them.
Well done
It is not all fridge drivers we are having a go at it is the inconsiderate one who parked his wagon up and buggered off for the night, you should have switched it off there are plenty of places he could have left it, if he was with it fair enough but he was not prepared to suffer the noise, i find it is better if they are left on permanent rather than on standby