What a clean reefer tender should include

Guide · 3 min read

Most reefer problems start before the truck shows up. When the details are missing from the tender, the driver finds out at the dock, and that is the most expensive place to find anything out. A clean tender includes:

• Set point and mode. The exact temperature, and whether the unit runs continuous or cycle (start/stop). Many fresh produce loads need continuous air; frozen loads often run cycle.
• Commodity and expected pulp temperature. A reefer holds temperature. It is not built to pull warm product down. If product is loaded out of range, the driver needs to know what “in range” means so it can be noted on the bill of lading.
• Weight and pallet count. Heavy reefer loads affect axle weights and routing.
• Appointment windows and load type. Live load or drop, appointment or first-come, first-served, and the hours the dock is actually open.
• Seal and handling instructions. Who applies the seal, whether pallets can be double-stacked, and any pre-cool requirement.
• Unloading responsibility. Whether a lumper is expected and who pays.

On our side, the trailer is pre-cooled to your set point before loading, pulp temps are checked at pickup, and anything out of range is noted on the paperwork before the doors close. Most modern reefer units also keep a temperature log that can be pulled if a receiver ever questions the load.

Have a reefer lane? Send us the details.