If you have to transport perishable items, temperature-controlled trucks are a must. Lots of trucking companies offer a variety of temperature-controlled options, so your climate-sensitive items stay fresh during transport. Learn more about the process, so you can protect your items as they move from one location to the next. Then, you can deliver fresh, consumable goods to your consumers without fear.
Understand Packaging Limitations
Temperature-controlled trucks are specially designed to maintain a specific temperature to protect goods that include seafood, meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Even chocolate needs to go in temperature-controlled trucks to prevent it from melting. These trucks have insulated walls and a refrigerating unit. The walls and refrigerating unit add weight and reduce the available space. This limits the truck’s capacity. The trucking company will help you determine how many trucks you need to transport your perishable items.
Use Appropriate Packaging
The trucking company can also work with you regarding packaging. Heat transfer is a cause for concern with temperature-controlled items, so trucking companies recommend using the appropriate packaging. Insulation, such as rigid polyurethane foam or reflective materials, prevents heat transfer. Items can also be stored in a gel coolant or dry ice. Keep in mind that dry ice is heavier than a gel coolant and can leak. You will need to take proper care when packaging it and determine the weight limitations ahead of time. You don’t want to go so heavy on the dry ice that you aren’t able to ship all your goods.
The packaging doesn’t just protect the items when in transport. Proper packaging is useful when offloading items. Also, it allows you to prepare for the unexpected. Imagine that an employee is unloading your goods and there is a problem. Your perishable items have to sit on the loading dock for hours. Without proper packaging, they will deteriorate. Fortunately, when you use the proper packaging, you can easily navigate road bumps that might occur during the shipment. This will take the stress off your shoulders and save you money in the long run since you won’t have to replace perishable goods.
Set Temperature Parameters
You will need to set temperature parameters for the truck drivers to follow when transporting your climate-sensitive goods. These parameters will provide drivers with a temperature range for the goods. When you set parameters, you can include additional information regarding parking. For example, if your items are extremely sensitive to heat, you can have the driver park the truck in a temperature-controlled dock when it isn’t moving. The driver will also take additional precautions, such as keeping the door closed as much as possible. That way, you won’t have to worry about air escaping and harming your items.
Consider Route Selection
Route selection is also critical when transporting temperature-sensitive goods. While this is always the case, it’s especially true in the winter and summer. Trucking companies can choose a route that minimizes the number of times the driver must open the doors. The company can also preplan the route based on weather conditions to avoid extreme cold or heat. This is part of the logistics planning process when dealing with perishable items.
There are so many factors and variables that go into managing temperature-controlled freight. Even if you’ve been in business for decades, you might feel overwhelmed when dealing with the details. Instead of handling it yourself, partner with a trucking company. Liquid Trucking takes pride in ensuring that your shipment makes it to its destination safely and intact.