When your fleet is responsible for handling refrigerated cargo, you must maintain your trucks routinely and completely.
Refrigerated (reefer) truck maintenance must be top-notch. You must follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations to ensure the cargo is kept at the correct temperature throughout the trip.
Go Beyond the Routine & Required
The DOT FMCSA requires that before and after Daily Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIR) are completed and kept on hand for each trip. Likewise, any safety issues noted must be corrected by maintenance, or the mechanic must sign off saying that maintenance was not required.
With reefers, you must go beyond the required and periodically check belts, hoses, and compressor calibration during the trip.
Drivers must be familiar with how the evaporator and condenser function to ID mechanical issues on the road to prevent mechanical problems before they become severe.
The driver must check for oil leaks from the engine or compressor while en route.
Prevent Contamination
PM is crucial to preventing mishaps on the road. When the refrigeration unit is not working as it should, bacteria could start growing if the temperature is not maintained correctly.
Maintain Scrupulous Maintenance & Shipping Records
If a recall on a product you moved to market happens, the FDA will want to see maintenance and shipping records.
Always Stick to a Rigid Preventive Maintenance (PM) Program
Putting off maintenance on a truck could be costly. We understand you want to have 100% of your fleet on the road, but PM is crucial to ensuring that your trucks are ready when you need them. Plus, PM will keep repair costs to a minimum.
As you are likely aware, reefer units require hoses and belts get replaced every 1,500 hours to prevent roadside breakdowns and cargo loss.
Roadside services cost far more than PM. For example, when you have a truck disabled by the side of the road, you’ll need to get a repair team on the road immediately and might need to put another truck on the road to transfer the cargo to ensure it is delivered on time. That can debilitate your budget.
Apart from what your driver will recognize on the trip, you must adhere to a routine and rigid maintenance schedule. Further, you must have a trustworthy maintenance partner.
Choose Ultimate Fleet Repair (UFR) as Your Fleet Maintenance Partners
You can depend on the trained and professional mechanics at UFR to provide top-notch PM to keep your trucks and vans operating at peak capacity. Call us to set up your vehicle or fleet PM schedule (651) 454-8775. Use our contact form.
