Cycle mode on temp assure loads

ChanceMaster

Expert Expediter
Last night I put our refer on cycle mode enroute on a load. I have never done this before, but was bored/curious and remembered the clink canned message about running on continuous for pharmaceuticals. Our load is not pharmaceutical. An hour after switching to cycle mode, I get a c link message asking me to switch back to continuous mode, and that FYI, All Temp control loads are to be run on continuous cycle.

Any truth to this ? First hand knowledge ?

Sent from my PC36100 using EO Forums
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
I believe this is the new policy. Not a popular policy: uses more fuel , more wear on reefer= more costs.
 

iceroadtrucker

Veteran Expediter
Driver
THe Truth of the matter is all reefer loads are to be on continuous cycle. BTW Zorry Its more wear and tear for a unite to turn on then off then back on. Then just to run on Continuous. The only thing that is is using more is a fuel. When you put the unite on Cycle mode the unite shuts off at the temp then when the sensor detects its close to being out of range the unite turns on and runs hard till it hits temp then shuts back off. Notably remember this when you do that the return probe is what saying temp in the box is going out of range. what it doesnt show is the actual box temp which most likely will be out of range. Food for thought. Less wear and tear and save your Qual leave the TCU on continuous cycle.
On another note keep that reefer tank full weather in the winter or summer. When its gets down to just below 3/4 or just above half fill the tank. Argue you all you want but if for some reason the Fuel Pickup tube is short when you fill the unite while its running if its about empty or at 1/4 the silly thing can get airbound which means the unite dies and then you got to manualy prime the silly thing.
 

Attachments

  • 576620_439142322782595_100000604946092_1541418_1696929886_n.jpg
    576620_439142322782595_100000604946092_1541418_1696929886_n.jpg
    100.9 KB · Views: 222
Last edited:

mcbride

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Yes, all temp loads have to be run continuous cycle. It has technically been this way for at least the last 5 years...

Decided I had better edit this..if you were a TVAL in the past, it seems they made us run all temp loads continuous...I have heard of some people not running continuous in the past but I have no idea how they got away with it. We tried to run non-continuous a couple of times and always qot a beep from dispatch indicating we needed to run continuous.
 
Last edited:

Wolfie62

Seasoned Expediter
Yup. Been that way for a long time. I still use the stop/start mode. But, I use it for box conditioning about 3 hours before pickup, depending on outside temps and box set point. This saves fuel, keeps me from getting the "box out of temp" messages on the C-Link, and does not wear out the engine/starter motor as has been implied here. A note of advice--when in the non-continuous mode, set your setpoint BELOW your required temp. For example, for a setpoint of 5 C, I set the temp at 2 C. This way, the temp on the probes stays in the 2-8 C range between start ups and shut downs, and does a really nice job of conditioning the box WITHOUT wasting fuel. I set my C-Link alarm for the one-hour prior to pickup time, so I remember to reset both the temp and the continuous mode button. I have never had a problem with this from the customers or the kind folks at TVAL. It does save fuel compared to idling the diesel for several hours after it reaches temp range.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
I had run a load prior to my previous post where the ambient temp never was outside of my set points.
Properly cooled prior to picking up cooled product I would think there wouldn't have been much starting and stopping if set in stop/ start mode.
 

Wolfie62

Seasoned Expediter
I do have to add a caveat to my previous post.

I have driven several nose-mount reefers that required 2-3 start cycles to get the reefer running, because the unit had to draw fuel up from the tanks. That could certainly add wear/hours to the starter motor on stop/start mode. A check valve later corrected that. I drive a belly-mount now, so it starts almost immediately.

Yes, this time of year we are having to heat the box to 5 C for temperature conditioning, much of the time.

I started using the start/stop mode a few years back, with a nose-mounted unit, to save my sanity. Nose mount reefers are just noisy. Basically mounted over our heads in the sleeper, and with an ambient temp of 105 F, and a set point of -20 C, about 6-8 hours of run time before pickup of the load........
 
Top