Tips for Driving Refrigerated Trucks in Hot Climates
Joe Dickman | April 13th, 2022
Summer is quickly approaching, bringing scorching temperatures over most of the country. You must be able to combat heat to protect the perishable products you deliver within refrigerated vehicles. Otherwise, rising temperatures inside your cabin can quickly cause spoilage and deterioration of any goods inside.
Furthermore, excessive heat can cause many different mechanical issues that can leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Continue reading to explore helpful tips for driving refrigerated trucks in hot climates.
Check the Thermostat Constantly
Even a one-degree fluctuation in the temperature of your truck’s refrigerated storage compartment could mean the difference between acceptable loads and spoiled, inedible goods. High summer temperatures are a significant threat to any perishable products that need to remain chilled.
Thus, you need to ensure that all your refrigerators are operational and at the proper temperature, undisturbed by the excessive heat outside. You’ll want to check your payload much more frequently than you usually would to ensure the integrity of the products.
Keep a Close Eye on Your Tires
Many parts of the United States experience grueling temperatures during the summer. These extremely high temperatures combined with scalding roadways can cause your tires to blow out. Therefore, it’s essential to maintain your tire pressure to the correct levels to help reduce the chance of a blowout during this time.
Change Your Oil
Naturally, you should change your oil regularly to maintain a consistent level of performance. However, when you know you’re exposing your vehicle to extreme temperatures, consider incorporating synthetic oils. Synthetic oils are better suited to hotter air and may even preserve your truck when towing.
Stay On Top of Your Brakes
You typically connect brake testing with the slippery or snowy conditions of the colder months, but summertime can also lead to severe accidents. Since your brake components already generate heat, they can’t absorb any additional heat, resulting in a loss of friction. Essentially, your brake system becomes less effective during hot weather, so you need to check on these systems more frequently.
These tips for driving refrigerated trucks in hot climates can be a lifesaver when it comes to preventing mechanical failures and ensuring the integrity of your cargo. Emerald Transportation Solutions is proud to offer the best refrigerated box trucks for sale that can make a welcome addition to any delivery fleet needing climate-controlled vehicles. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
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What does under DOT mean?
Questions regarding DOT requirements come up often. 10,000 lbs GVW (gross vehicle weight) and over are commercial vehicles that fall under the Department of Transportation regulatory requirements.
What is the difference between GVW and payload?
GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight is the entire weight of the vehicle including the payload. The payload weight represents the amount of cargo you are hauling.
What is a self-powered unit and a vehicle-powered unit?
A self-powered unit has its own fuel source and will run independent of the truck. This is the heaviest and most expensive option. While vehicle-powered units run off the engine via a compressor mounted on the engine. These are less expensive and lighter in weight but you must run the truck or plug the electric standby into shore power.
What does K-factor mean and why is that important?
K-factor is a term that stands for the overall insulating value of the container (truck body). Quite simply the lower the K-factor the better the truck body will be able to maintain a given temperature and require less energy to do so.
How much lighter is a Poly Van vs a US spec body?
Poly Van bodies are very light. On average we estimate we are 75-150 lbs per foot lighter than a traditional sheet and post foamed in place body. These weight savings translates to less fuel burn and less CO2 emissions, along with added payload, the most important benefit.
