As more new trucks are coming into our fleet with built-in refrigerators there are a few things we as drivers need to do to take care of them. The refrigerators are a welcome addition—making it much easier to keep food and drinks at the right temperature so we can eat healthier out here on the road. But they do require some care on our part as drivers to keep them working properly and prevent unhealthy mold and bacteria buildup as well as the resulting odors.
When it’s almost time to go home.
As we get closer to taking a few days off at home it helps to start depleting the inventory of food and drinks stocked in our refrigerator. This will make it easier to prepare for a thorough defrost of the freezer prior to cleaning it out.
Once the refrigerator is empty—preferably a day before you will get home—you can begin defrosting. Turn it off with the temperature control switch inside and line the bottom with a few paper towels to soak up some of the water that will drip down as the ice buildup on the freezer compartment begins to melt. Remove and dispose of them once they are completely soaked and replace with more paper towels if needed.
After a few hours have passed, remove the defrost drip tray that is below the freezer compartment and dump the water out. Repeat every few hours until there is no more ice buildup left and the drip tray is dry.
Any marks from cans and labels can easily be handled with some Mr. Clean Magic
Eraser pads like those shown in the photo. Then the door can be left open for a few hours to allow a complete drying out.
An added benefit of shutting down the refrigerator while on home time is that it won’t draw current from the truck’s batteries.
“My refrigerator door in my new Freightliner won’t stay closed!”
Here’s a quick and simple fix for the built-in refrigerators in our new Freightliners. Get a pair of pliers and use them to bend this metal striker plate downward about 1/8”. Then push the door closed at the top until you hear a firm click from the latch. Problem solved!
