Maintain Reefers to Ensure Food Quality And Safety
Regular maintenance of your reefers is critical to a successful cold chain operation
The refrigeration units on trailers keep products cold to ensure quality and safety, but the equipment can be more demanding than its dry van equivalent. Maintaining the units is the key to success.
At Penske Truck Leasing, we service reefer trailers more often than dry vans. Refrigeration trailers can have more demanding applications with multiple stops. Typically, in those applications, the doors are used more often, and there are liftgates that are used regularly, especially if it is a multi-temp unit that delivers to the food joints and c-stores of the world.
We also regularly check the refrigeration units and the insulation on the trailer and provide all required documentation.
Document and Validate
To comply with food safety regulations, private fleets need to document maintenance on vehicles to ensure they’re in compliance. It is best to check equipment regularly and keep records. For example, if your unit says it is 72 degrees, you better validate it is getting to 72 degrees. Today’s regulations require cradle-to-grave recording or management of the product.
The Influence of Seasons on Performance
We typically service equipment every 90 days or less, depending on the number of hours the unit runs. Maintenance can also vary by season. Summer is more demanding, especially with frozen items, so the unit is going to work a little harder.
Our goal is to keep you moving and ensure your products’ integrity. If you’re using refrigerated units, be sure to make equipment available for service at regular intervals to ensure it will operate properly.
Penske performs regular preventative maintenance on all our leased vehicles and can also be contracted to maintain your fleet to the same high standard.