Maintaining refrigerated trucks is your top priority as a carrier of chilled freight. Your truck’s maintenance directly contributes to the reliability of your reefer shipments. The Food Safety Modernization Act’s standards should be followed to maintain a refrigerated vehicle in the simplest way possible. Here is some important advice on maintaining refrigerated trucks by these rules.
The trailer used to transport food must, first and foremost, maintain the temperature required for the safe transportation of that commodity. The driver prevents food from rotting or being contaminated due to germs or mould by maintaining the proper temperature. This would compromise thegeneral cleanliness of the fridge truck and would harm the cargo.
Your driver should routinely inspect the reefer trailer and refrigerated unit in addition to pre-and post-trip inspections. This covers before, during, and after a journey, as well as while en route.The driver must manually gauge and calibrate the refrigeration system and check the compressor’s functionality. To recognize mechanical issues on the road, drivers must also be aware of how the condenser and evaporator work. The driver must keep an eye out for oil leaks from the engine and compressor while doing the inspections.
Belts and hoses in refrigeration units need to be replaced every 1,500 hours or according to the engine life cycle, depending on the maintenance plan. This is essential for preventing over-the-road breakdowns and the loss of chilled cargo.The following reefer truck safety advice entails a procedure that your driver is already dedicated to. Because a refrigerated unit requires diesel fuel to operate, plan to use more fuel than you would with a dry van trailer without an engine. In certain cases, shippers won’t even load a reefer freight on less than three-quarters of a tank of fuel at the loading port.
Your drivers are expected to clean their trailers after every transport involving food products, notably meat or cattle. A truck wash-out, also known as a clean-out, might involve anything from a quick sweep of the trailer floor to a thorough power wash at the closest truck wash. The following reefer truck maintenance problem is prevented by doing this.Drivers of reefer trucks must avoid cross-contact or contaminating raw food. This starts with keeping the trailer spotless and includes following safe food transport procedures. Cross-contamination of components known to cause food allergies, such as peanuts, is another growing issue that must be avoided.Safety training is a requirement for both drivers and carriers. This course focuses on safe shipping procedures, such as limiting microbiological food dangers or managing the bulk transit of juice concentrates.
Reviewing the cleanliness and transportation rules is one approach to getting trained on how to carry out your reefer transport activities appropriately. Your fleet of drivers will be better able to operate your reefer trailers if they receive food safety training.Speaking of records, drivers and carriers must maintain shipping logs for any written agreements and processes about the transportation of food safely. Describe how reefer trailers are handled in the procedures, including how frequently drivers must undergo truck and trailer inspections per your company’s requirements.
