Trader Joe's Distribution Center — Local services in Minooka

If you're getting a frozen load here, DO NOT EXIT THE FACILITY IF YOUR TRAILER'S TEMPERATURE IS MORE THAN 5° ABOVE THE REQUIRED TEMP.

Park across the shipping office or in the dirt lot next to the freezer/ NFI building and wait for your trailer's temperature to drop. The shipping office staff was supposed to mention this.

My load required -10°, my trailer was at 23° while checking out at the exit. The guards had my doors open the whole time they were trying to figure out why my load didn't have a number tag at the back. As it turned out, my particular load didn't need one (bread trays).

Also, I think ~87% of my load was not frozen to begin with. I got 4 pallets from the freezer/ NFI building, the rest were from the bigger warehouse.

Due to their temperature policy, they had me circle around, park across the shipping office, and wait for the trailer's temperature to drop.

It took my reefer, (less than a year old unit) 2hrs 56mins to cool the load to -8°. It was a chilly, 30° evening. What does this tell ya about the load's initial temperature?

Yes, I pre-cooled to -10° prior to arrival. The entrance guard saw the temperature and thought I was delivering.

To top everything off, one of the exit guards fidgeted with my seal and broke it. So I had to circle back around to the office a second time to get another one.

Frankly speaking, I got very angry after seeing the seal broken. It's been a couple decades or so, since I got to that level of anger.

The guard that broke the seal had the girl trainee guard sign me out. He couldn't face me after he saw my reaction, I guess.

Freezer/ NFI building:

If the Trader Joe's shipping office sends you there to check-in, and they don't give you a dock right away, park in the dirt lot and wait for a phone call.

If there's a trailer on the dock they assigned you to, walk to the office and let them know right away. They'll have a yard dog move it.

Additional details of how this place works, is, and what you need to do, has been mentioned in others' reviews.

From arriving at the gate to actually...

Type: Live load

Pros: Plenty of maneuvering area for both docking and drop n hooks. Only courteous person is the lady in receiving with pink safety vest. She attends to everyone professionally.

Cons: No overnight parking but street outside available with no parking signs n multiple hydrants. Extremely poor customer service at guard shack. Machiavellian outbound attitude both guard outbound and receiving office cold side. Guard shack has Solipsistic rancid attitude on past life as “ Rikers Island” guest and egoistical affirmation of prized “truck”; to humanely care or professionally conduct business. Beware of aggression oozing with desire to harm atypical of incarceration character outbound shack. Receiving office similar bad customer service with cold attitude. “ Guy in black ball cap” with flag🧢 u professional rude and condescending and prejudiced. Obviously favored and skipped driver on preference of race. No directions on what to do from filling arrival paperwork, signing, direction to dock, break seal, wait for a call or red light. Nothing but condescending attitude of wasting his time too. Everyone fills paperwork and will not start working unless is 0001-0600 for reefers and 0700 for dry vans. Both inbound and outbound shack too busy on headphones, unprofessional demeanor, hoodies, street talk and scathing rude. Loaders gather drivers in an elementary juvenile formation to give a speech on how great they will work your load and leave them candy on your way out smgdmfh. Zero disregard for first time drivers.

Tips: All major truck stops within 10 mile radius. Loves, TA, Pilot, Thorntons, and a small service...

Very nice people working here although they are very strict in regards to the time or the time that they will talk to you. If you have a 7:00 delivery don't show up at 6:30 expecting anyone to help you. You'll be told to wait until 7:00. Fill out the paperwork that's there at the window and then wait for your door to be called. But they won't call you or tell you that your door is ready until they've had their coffee and their people show up in the warehouse with their radios took another 20 minutes to get a door. No 7:20 it'll be two and a half hours after arriving in the door and waiting. Quite ridiculous. This is not my first and only time that I've been there I've been there multiple times and each times it's always two or two and a half hours to get unloaded. Once unloaded you then have to go back to the office and wait for your paperwork. Which could have been signed by the driver of the forklift who had counted the material. If they would have given them authorities I just sign it I would have been on my way. Note: Make sure that you have a safety vest on or a chartreuse shirt. They will send you back to your truck to wherever you're parked to put one on. Remember 7:00 is 7:00 Do not show up beforehand you'll be turned away. Also they do have a very nice restroom there for...