https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Article

What you need to know about refrigerated trailers

What you need to know about refrigerated trailers

GPN's Michael Keating discusses refrigerated trailers, also know as reefers, with Jeff Weaver, vice-president of sales and marketing at Ervin Equipment.
  • Written by
  • 26th June 2013

GPN got an education in refrigerated trailers, also known as reefers, when we contacted Jeff Weber. Weber is vice president sales and marketing at Toledo, Ill.-based Ervin Equipment.

Weber’s firm sells new and used semi-trailers as well as dry vans, reefers, lowboys, chassis, flatbeds intermodal containers and tankers. The company also sells trucks, construction equipment and oilfield machinery.

Reefers are used to transport perishable goods in a temperature-controlled environment. Some potential public sector applications for reefers include government foodservice operations, medical and corrections facilities, emergency response and disaster planning, as well as the military. Weber’s comments start below. In the photo: an example of a reefer used for controlled-temperature hauling.

Government Product News: What are some things fleet managers may want to know before adding reefers to their fleet?

Jeff Weber: Here are a couple of areas that fleet managers need to think about:

  • What current trailers are costing them in maintenance and refrigeration expenses (unit run hours and fuel economy)
  • What current insulation package customers have and how it relates to fuel/Thermo Performance (TRU) costs
  • Weight requirements of a trailer
  • What primary and secondary applications they are hauling  
  • How long they expect to run their equipment

GPN: What are some key aspects to maintenance for one of these trailers?

JW: It is important to keep water out of the insulated cavities. Repairs should be made immediately to interiors and exteriors when damage occurs in order to keep water out. Training on how to wash with high-pressure cleaners is also pertinent.

GPN: Is the cost of ownership higher than a normal van trailer? Why?

JW: Yes. If you do not keep the insulated box sealed from water, degradation occurs. This means you’ll lose insulation capability and run higher unit/fuel costs in refrigeration. In addition, refrigerated trailers cost more to repair due to the complexity of working on refrigerated boxes versus a dry box. Finally, refrigerated trailers typically do not run as many years as a typical dry freight trailer.

GPN: What is the lifespan of one of these trailers? What can government fleet managers do to extend the life of the trailer, or ensure it stays on the road for as long as possible?

JW: Tier one is usually around 7 years, 3 years running deep frozen, and the remaining 4 years running frozen and produce. Refrigerated trailers’ insulation capability degrades around 3 to 5 percent per year. This causes higher fuel consumption, as the equipment needs to run more hours to maintain freight temperature requirements. In addition, corrosion is one of the top reasons trailer life is limited. Products like undercoating, hot-dipped galvanizing and stainless steel are important in extending the life of all trailers in the field.

GPN Please tell me about some of the latest technical advancements in these products.

JW: One advancement is in thermoplastic interior liners. Fastener-free sideliners eliminate possible water paths and reduce interior air loss. In addition, the sideliners eliminate shearing of interior fastener heads.

Another advancement is in SolarGuard roofs. Fiberglass-reinforced white plastic SolarGuard roofs feature pigments that stop UV rays from being absorbed by the roof panel. Unlike aluminum, SolarGuard prevents the roof skin from heating up when subjected to the sun. These composite roof sheets have been tested and gain no more than 3 to 5 degrees above the outside temperature in daylight. When placed on a reefer, the technology helps to reduce fuel consumption and assists in maintaining temperature in maximum heat conditions — translating into thousands of dollars in savings.

A third advancement is the improved thermal performance and fuel economy now available in these trailers. The thermal performance and the fuel savings go hand in hand because the reefer unit runs on diesel fuel and the better the box is insulated, the less fuel is needed to maintain or hold the required temperature.

Tags: Public Works & Utilities Article

Related


  • The uncertain future of community composting in New York City
    After roughly a decade of service in New York City, the last two community composting sites will not have their leases renewed. These sites are situated on land belonging to the city’s Parks Department: the Lower East Side Ecology Center is at Corlears Hook Park in Lower Manhattan, and Big Reuse is located under the […]
  • How Philadelphia is aiming for zero waste
    The city of Philadelphia has long collected data on city properties’ waste generation and leveraged it to improve waste management, but now it’s honing in on the commercial sector too, realizing this will be crucial to hitting Philly’s zero waste targets. Today it runs a voluntary program where both municipal and commercial operations do detailed […]
  • Cleveland launches program to create circular rconomy
    The City of Cleveland and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress announced the launch of Circular Cleveland, a two-year initiative to develop and implement circular economy strategies and programs in Cleveland. Inspired by similar models in cities around the world, the circular economy is a comprehensive approach to provide community-wide benefits by designing waste and pollution out of our economic system, keeping […]
  • St. Lucie county adds foam polystyrene recycling program
    St. Lucie County, Fla., residents and businesses will now be able to recycle more foam polystyrene products, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition. After starting a single-stream program in 2014, St. Lucie County has seen a continuous increase in the tonnage being processed at the St. Lucie Materials Recovery Facility, as […]

2 comments

  1. Avatar correysmith321 4th June 2015 @ 9:36 pm
    Reply

    Oh hey, I remember seeing
    Oh hey, I remember seeing mobile refrigerated trailers at a county fair near my town. It was quite interesting to see just how cold that trailer was and even throughout the hot sunny day.Well, just how does a mobile refrigerated trailer keep a cold freezing temperature?

  2. Avatar Levi Armstrong 25th June 2020 @ 12:53 pm
    Reply

    The company I’m working for is planning to buy some refrigerated trailers for transporting goods from one state to another. I like that you said that the insulation capacity of these trailers deteriorates around 3-5% each year. I’ll share that information with my boss, so we can take the necessary steps to extend its life. Thanks! https://adamsiscooler.com/

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Expediting the reduction of road salt use in America
  • Building services provider helps Ohio county establish its own building code department
  • Vermont city uses sewer surveillance to halt spread of COVID-19
  • Industry and government collaboration key to addressing recycling challenges

White papers


How a unified HR system helps one public safety organization manage crews, payroll, and more in a single platform

7th January 2021

Your Roadmap to COVID-19 Funding

18th December 2020

The One Where Everyone Wins: A Mutually Beneficial Contracting Method

10th December 2020
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X