Start with the honest part, because it decides who you should call. We are a truck and trailer shop, not a refrigeration contractor. We do a great deal of reefer work — and there is one part of it we hand to a specialist rather than pretend about.
What we do, and what we refer out
The trailer: doors, hinges, seals and gaskets, insulation and panel damage, floors and drains, air chutes and bulkheads, interior lighting, and the whole running gear — brakes, air, suspension, landing gear, tires, wiring. On the unit itself: mounting and brackets, fuel system and tank, belts, batteries, charging, wiring harnesses and starting problems.
Anything inside the sealed refrigerant circuit — compressor, condenser, evaporator, charging and recovery, and the EPA-certified handling that goes with it. If that is your fault, a reefer specialist will do it properly and we will say so on the phone rather than after we arrive.
Most reefer complaints are not the refrigeration
This surprises people, and it is the reason calling us is usually worth it. A trailer that will not hold temperature is very often losing it rather than failing to make it. Perished door seals, a door that no longer closes square after a dock hit, a punctured panel taking on water, a blocked drain, a collapsed or missing air chute, a bulkhead that lets air short-circuit back to the return — all of these look exactly like a sick reefer unit on a download, and none of them is a refrigeration repair.
The second big category is electrical: a unit that will not start, cuts out or reports nothing at all is frequently a battery, a ground, a chafed harness or a fuel supply problem rather than anything refrigerating.
Doors, seals and the damage docks do
Reefer doors take more abuse than any other part of the trailer because they are opened and closed dozens of times a day, often in a hurry. Hinges wear, frames rack, gaskets flatten and tear, and latch gear stops pulling the door tight. A door that is 5mm out costs you temperature every hour of every run. We rebuild doors, frames and hardware and replace seals as a matter of routine — see also trailer body work.
Floors, drains and what lives under a load
Duct floors block with debris and stop moving air where it needs to go. Drains plug, water sits, and the floor and the panel above it start to go. Found early it is cleaning and a patch; found late it is a floor section.
The running gear, same as any trailer
A reefer is still a trailer. Brakes and air, suspension and airbags, tires, landing gear, lighting and annual DOT inspections are all ordinary work here, and a loaded reefer is the worst possible place to discover any of them.
My trailer is not holding temperature. Should I call you or a reefer shop?
Call us and describe it. If the unit runs but the box will not hold, the odds are good it is doors, seals, a chute or a panel — our work. If the unit is alarming on a refrigeration fault or will not cool at all with everything sealed, we will point you at a specialist immediately rather than bill you for looking.
Can you come to a loaded reefer at a dock?
Yes. Doors, seals, lighting, air and electrical are all roadside and dock work, and a loaded trailer is exactly when you need it done where it stands.
Do you do reefer PM and inspections?
Trailer-side preventive work and annual DOT inspections, yes — including the door, seal, chute and drain checks that actually protect your load. Unit-side refrigeration servicing belongs with the unit dealer.
Related services
Everything below is available on the road where it can be, and in the Tacoma bay where it needs a lift. Same techs either way.
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