Refrigerator truck


A refrigerator truck or chiller lorry, 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 semi-trailers, although insulated curtainsiders are common in some countries. Occasionally, refrigerated trailers have been used as temporary morgues, and second-hand refrigerated trailers are frequently sold for use in tiny home conversions due to their insulation and existing status as a vehicle.

History

The first successful mechanically refrigerated trucks were made for the ice cream industry in 1925. 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.

Features

Like refrigerator cars, refrigerated trucks differ from simple insulated and ventilated vans, neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus.
Refrigerator trucks can be cooled with ice, dry ice, liquid carbon dioxide, or mechanical refrigeration systems powered by small displacement engines or by the truck's main engine.
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 to air out the trailer.