When a transport refrigeration unit quits with a loaded trailer, the clock starts immediately. A reefer that stops cooling doesn't fail slowly. Box temperature climbs, product moves out of spec, and every minute of delay narrows your options. Northeast Refrigeration Services runs 24/7 emergency mobile repair for Thermo King and Carrier Transicold units so you can get a certified tech to your truck instead of waiting on a dealer to drive up from Massachusetts or Connecticut.
We are independent and mobile. That means the tech comes to you at the stop, the lot, the dock, or the roadside, with the tools and diagnostic gear to work the unit on site. We are refrigeration and diesel reefer specialists, not tractor mechanics, so an emergency call is focused on getting the unit cooling again and holding your load.
What Counts as a Reefer Emergency
If any of the following is happening with product on board, call now rather than waiting to see if it settles down:
- Unit won't cool. The reefer is running but box temperature is climbing and setpoint is drifting away from you.
- Unit won't start. The diesel engine cranks and won't fire, or the unit is dead and the load is unprotected.
- Alarm or shutdown. The controller is throwing an alarm code, cycling, or has shut the unit down on a fault.
- Load at risk. Perishable, frozen, or temperature-controlled pharma freight that cannot ride out a long wait.
Perishable produce and dairy have a narrow window before they leave grade. Frozen freight that partially thaws often cannot be refrozen and resold. Pharmaceutical and other regulated loads may be rejected outright the moment they break their required range. The value of the freight almost always dwarfs the cost of an after-hours repair, which is exactly why calling early matters.
What To Do While You Wait
A few minutes of information gathering before the tech arrives can shorten the repair and sometimes save the load:
- Write down the alarm code. Note the exact code or codes on the controller and whether the unit is cycling or fully shut down. This points the tech toward the fault before wheels even turn.
- Note setpoint versus box temperature. Record what the unit is set to and what the box is actually reading, and roughly how fast it is drifting.
- Keep the doors shut. Every door opening dumps conditioned air and pulls in ambient heat. A closed, insulated box holds temperature far longer than most drivers expect.
- Note the fuel level and any recent symptoms. Low fuel, unusual noise, or a unit that had been struggling earlier in the day all help with diagnosis.
When you call, have the unit make and model, the setpoint and current box temp, the alarm code, and your exact location ready. The more we know before rolling, the faster the fix.
How Mobile Emergency Response Works
You call, describe the unit and the symptoms, and give your location. A tech heads to your truck with diagnostic equipment, common parts, and refrigeration tools. On an emergency call we pull and read alarm codes, check the diesel engine's ability to start and run, inspect the refrigeration side for issues such as low charge, restricted airflow, belt and clutch problems, sensor faults, and controller trouble, and get the unit cooling toward setpoint again.
Some failures are fixed on the spot. Others need a specific part that has to be sourced, in which case we tell you plainly what is wrong, what it takes to repair it, and what your realistic options are for protecting the load in the meantime. No guesswork and no runaround. As an EPA 608 Universal certified shop with six years in commercial refrigeration, the goal on every emergency is a straight diagnosis and the fastest safe path back to temperature.
Honest After-Hours Pricing
Emergency work is billed at $225 per hour after hours, portal to portal, with a one-hour minimum. Portal to portal means the clock covers travel from our base to your truck and back, and that is the whole cost structure. There are no surprise dispatch fees and no separate trip charge stacked on top. Standard daytime work runs $150 per hour on the same portal-to-portal, one-hour-minimum basis. You will know how billing works before we roll, not after.
Being local is a real advantage here. Dealers commonly respond from Massachusetts or Connecticut on a two-to-four-hour drive, and every hour of that response is more time your load spends out of range. A closer tech means less travel time on the clock and a faster return to setpoint.
Coverage Area and When To Call
We provide emergency mobile reefer service across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, based out of Bradford, Vermont. Whether you are broken down at a truck stop, sitting at a distribution dock, or parked on the shoulder, we come to the unit.
The single most important thing you can do is call early. A reefer alarm is not a wait-and-see problem when there is freight on board. The sooner we know, the sooner your box is holding temperature again. For 24-hour emergency reefer repair, call Northeast Refrigeration Services at (802) 243-9373.