Modern refrigerated trailers tread lightly and protect perishables.
“When it comes to reefer trailers, reduced weight is even more important than in van trailers,” says Rod Ehrlich, chief technology officer at Wabash National. “Foodstuffs tend to be heavy, and people want to haul product, not trailer.”
Joe Stianche, fleet manager for Laurel, Miss.-based Sanderson Farms, agrees. “The trick is to make a refrigerated trailer as light as possible – without compromising thermal efficiency or durability,” Stianche says.
Loads in, corrosion out
In addition to standing up to the rigors endured by any other type of trailer, reefer trailers face unique conditions. For example, they must insulate their loads, and resist corrosion from load moisture. That’s tricky, since moisture can collect behind seams, scuff liners and even fasteners.
“We used to use aluminum scuff liners,” says Ehrlich. “They would dent easily and pull away from the inside walls, and they were difficult to repair. Now we use a high-performance plastic that’s fused in place. And if they get damaged, they’re easily repaired.”
Ehrlich also cautions against using pressure washers on seams and fasteners, since that drives moisture into the insulation, where it compromises insulating ability and corrodes metal.
And corrosion isn’t limited to bodies; reefer frames are just as vulnerable as those on any other trailer. “I’ve had trailer webs with holes so big you could put your hand through them,” says Darry Stuart, president of DWS Fleet Management Services, based in Wrentham, Mass. “That’s why I started spec’ing stainless steel and aluminum subframes, but that added $4,000 to the cost of each trailer, and the fleet almost had my head.”
