Refrigerator truck
A refrigerator truck or chiller lorry (also called a reefer), is a van or truck designed to carry perishable freight at low temperatures. Most long-distance refrigerated transport by truck is done in articulated trucks pulling refrigerated hardside (box) semi-trailers, although insulated curtainsiders are common in some countries. Occasionally, refrigerated trailers have been used as temporary morgues,[1] and second-hand refrigerated trailers are frequently sold for use in tiny home conversions due to their insulation and existing status as a vehicle.[citation needed]
History
[edit]The first successful mechanically refrigerated trucks were made for the ice cream industry in 1925.[2] American inventor Frederick McKinley Jones is known to be the first person to invent a refrigerated truck. There were around 4 million refrigerated road vehicles in use in 2010 worldwide.[3]
Features
[edit]Like refrigerator cars, refrigerated trucks differ from simple insulated and ventilated vans (commonly used for transporting fruit), neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus.
Refrigerator trucks can be cooled with ice, dry ice, liquid carbon dioxide, or mechanical refrigeration systems (transport refrigeration units, TRUs) powered by small displacement engines or by the truck's main engine.[4]
They are often equipped with small "vent doors" at the rear and front of the trailer. These doors are kept open while hauling non-refrigerated cargo (often "backhaul") to air out the trailer.[5]
Description and design
Refrigerator trucks are usually a standard truck platform that is equipped with a thermodynamically insulated cargo box and a mechanical refrigeration unit. [6] The fridge system can be independent or equipped with the engine of the vehicle, providing a constant temperature drop when it is in transit. The temperature levels can be modified to meet special cargo needs, such as frozen items or chilled or ambient-sensitive items.
Materials that reduce heat exchange are used in constructing the insulated compartment, including polyurethane foam panels. These days, most systems incorporate digital monitoring and control units that enable the operator to monitor the internal temperatures in real time. Some [7] vehicles are prepared with multi-temperature compartments, allowing different classes of goods to be in transit at the same time in one truck.
Civilian applications
From the civilian standpoint, refrigerated trucks are vital to cold chain logistics, a system that conserves perishable products between production and consumption [8]. They are used to transport:
Fresh and frozen foods, including both meat and dairy products.[8]
Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines and Biologicals.
Temperature-dependent industrial substances, including some chemicals.[8]
Refrigeration trucks aid in minimising spoilage and ensuring the safety of products, and increasing the shelf life of goods. Retailers, logistics companies and food service providers widely use them in urban distribution networks or in long-haul transport.[8]
Dual-use purposes
Refrigerator trucks can also be categorised as dual-use technology; that is to say that they can be used by both civilian and military logistics. Dual-use systems do not in themselves need to be designed militarily but can be brought to bear on defence applications without major adjustment.[9]
Military applications
Refrigerated transport systems are also employed in military operations to support logistical and sustainment operations. [10] Their applications include:
- Handling and preservation of perishable food supplies for soldiers in the field.
- Stocking up on medical equipment, such as temperature-sensitive medicines.
- Mortuary affairs, in which refrigeration serves to maintain a soldier's remains.
- Special military refrigeration systems, such as containerised types, can have two temperature zones and can be much more resistant to working in harsh conditions. Such systems may be part of larger logistics structures like mobile base camps or transport convoys.
Military supply chains rely simply on civilian technologies, which can be quickly reconstructed to resemble civilian supply chains. [11]
Joint technology development in the civilian and military sectors may result in efficiency, dependability, and cost-efficiency.[10]
Dual-use classification may, however, also extend issues of civilian infrastructure being abused in favour of the military, especially in conflict zones or during an emergency.[10]
Refrigerator trucks are an essential element of modern-era logistics because they allow the transportation of temperature-sensitive goods in a safe and efficient way.[12] The fact that they work both in civilian and military environments represents, at a larger scale, the idea of dual-use technology, where a single system serves both business needs and works during a military scenario.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Refrigerated trucks requested in Texas and Arizona as morgues fill up due to coronavirus deaths". CBS News. 15 July 2020.
- ↑ "Chapter 30: Refrigerated Trucks and Trailers". The Refrigerating Data Book. American Society of Refrigerating Engineers. 1952. pp. 9–237.
About 1925, the ice cream industry pioneered the first successful mechanically operated refrigerated trucks, which were operated by methyl chloride condensing units. A generator, driven by a gasoline engine, supplied the power for the compressor motor.
- ↑ "6.2.2 Road Transport". 2010 Report of the Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pumps Technical Options Committee (PDF) (Report). UNEP. February 2011. p. 94. ISBN 978-9966-20-002-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ↑ Fletcher, Lauren. "Revolutionizing Refrigeration: The SolarTechTRU Story". www.worktruckonline.com. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
- ↑ "This Is What That Little Door On The Back Of Truck Trailers Is For". Jalopnik. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ↑ "Refrigerated Trucks: History, Benefits and Types". Inbound Logistics. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ "Trucks & Vans". www.thermoking.com. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 US EPA, OAR (7 October 2022). "Refrigerated Trailers and Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs)". www.epa.gov. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ "Refrigerated Trucks for Fresh and Frozen Goods Delivery - Knowledge". www.csctrucks.com. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Klinge Corporation - Army Technology". Army Technology. Archived from the original on 10 March 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ "Caravan to Cam Ranh: "Reefer Kings" Face 320-mile Challenge". www.army.mil. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ National motor freight traffic association, inc. (2025). Retrieved from NMFTA - National Motor Freight Traffic Association website.
Bibliography
[edit]- Prentice, B. E., & Benell, D. (1992). "Determinants of empty returns by US refrigerated trucks: conjoint analysis approach". Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, 40(1), 109-127. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7976.1992.tb03680.x (abstract).
External links
[edit]- Guideline for long refrigerated trailers in Queensland Archived 2014-01-13 at the Wayback Machine // Queensland Government, August 2006
- Heat and Mass Transfer: Fundamentals and Applications, 4/e, ISBN 0073398128 (2011) Chapter 17-8 "Transportation of Refrigerated Foods" page 17-41
- UNIT 7 AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AND THEIR APPLICATIONS Archived 29 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine // IGNOU, School of Engineering & Technology, BME - 032; chapter 7.5 TRANSPORT REFRIGERATION - section "7.5.1 Refrigerated Trucks and Trailers", page 103
- refrigerated truck factory
