Reefer Tips For Rookies

Thank you so much for this wealth of information. I am currently in my PSD phase with a reefer driver and I was planning on going flatbed during TNT and be in the flatbed division but am kind of on the fence now about which division I want to do. This is so helpful.

Here's another thread we got going with great info

tips for rookies

Here's a little visual tutorial of what I was talking about. Since Interstate only uses Thermo King reefers, I can't speak to the how-to for Carrier units, but this should give the newbies (or even veterans who've never delved into the menus before) an idea of what I meant.

So, from the default screen:

Push the button that says "menu." You should see something that looks like this:

Push the button that says "gauges." A screen like this should pop up:

Keep pushing the "next" button until you see this screen:

Voila! A quick and easy way to see how much fuel is in your reefer no matter how scuzzy the gauge on the tank is. Unless the fuel level sensor itself is broke, in which case you're boned and the trailer should be taken to the shop anyway.

Again, this only specifically applies to Thermo King units, but I'm sure Carrier has a similar function built in somewhere.

Thank You. Stevens runs exclusively Thermo King, so this will be useful for me the next time I run into a problem unit.

Winter is upon us which means cold weather and dead batteries.

Be sure to us antigel in your reefer fuel tank, then fuel to mix it. If not the fuel will gel up and clog everything then shut down. You also need to put a quart in your tractor when fueling (depending on tank size, read labels).

We've been told never to use HOWES, it doesn't work.

When starting a reefer, be sure to let it run for a awhile before running the pretrip setting. The cold will give you an "electrical current fail" if not. If you get any failed test message dispatch or road assist.

Always remember dead batteries can be jumped by your truck or even jump your truck with the reefer...so have cables.

TA and Petro have reefer batteries but will not repair other issues. Know your manufacturer so you can find a dealer near you...AFTER you message your road assist people ;)

Winter is upon us which means cold weather and dead batteries.

Be sure to us antigel in your reefer fuel tank, then fuel to mix it. If not the fuel will gel up and clog everything then shut down. You also need to put a quart in your tractor when fueling (depending on tank size, read labels).

We've been told never to use HOWES, it doesn't work.

When starting a reefer, be sure to let it run for a awhile before running the pretrip setting. The cold will give you an "electrical current fail" if not. If you get any failed test message dispatch or road assist.

Always remember dead batteries can be jumped by your truck or even jump your truck with the reefer...so have cables.

TA and Petro have reefer batteries but will not repair other issues. Know your manufacturer so you can find a dealer near you...AFTER you message your road assist people ;)

I don't know who's telling you not to use Howe's or why, but they're full of it. I've used Howe's numerous times over the years, in temps as low as -30°F, and never had any problems. It works fine.

Winter is upon us which means cold weather and dead batteries.

Be sure to us antigel in your reefer fuel tank, then fuel to mix it. If not the fuel will gel up and clog everything then shut down. You also need to put a quart in your tractor when fueling (depending on tank size, read labels).

We've been told never to use HOWES, it doesn't work.

When starting a reefer, be sure to let it run for a awhile before running the pretrip setting. The cold will give you an "electrical current fail" if not. If you get any failed test message dispatch or road assist.

Always remember dead batteries can be jumped by your truck or even jump your truck with the reefer...so have cables.

TA and Petro have reefer batteries but will not repair other issues. Know your manufacturer so you can find a dealer near you...AFTER you message your road assist people ;)

I don't know who's telling you not to use Howe's or why, but they're full of it. I've used Howe's numerous times over the years, in temps as low as -30°F, and never had any problems. It works fine.

Considering Rainy works for Prime...probably they are.

Thanks rainy much appreciated!!!

Prime does tell us not to use it...but...one of my friends who is a trainer at Stevens and been driving for 20+ years used to use it until he got stuck in the cold in the middle of nowhere. He's a lease op who really takes care of his truck for the obvious reasons. The repair bill was staggering. The mechanic told him "its OK until you get in extreme temps". What extreme temps are who knows, but why risk it? Another Prime friend also was gelled and it wasn't fun. I felt bad for her cause she was so frustrated she called me crying and yelling.

But now I'm wondering if it has to do with the FL? Now that I'm thinking about it, all of the complaints I heard were in FL.

Fatsquatch what do you drive? Is there something in one make/model that would prevent it from working? Like a material in the hose lines or tanks or something? Also, all the trucks had APUs , so would Howes possibly clog the APUs or something but not affect the truck?

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Did you take home some of that meat. Would probably make some good carne asada burritos