Best Practices For Refrigerated Transport Service

To all the businesses who order packages and want quick safe delivery;

Have you ever wondered how your favourite foods and essential products stay fresh through the whole journey to your doorstep?

From prepared meals to electronics, pharmaceuticals, and retail goods, the importance of precise environmental conditions like temperature and humidity, cannot be overstated. These factors are essential to prevent damage and ensure the quality of your products.

That’s where refrigerated transport services perform their magic.

But how exactly does this refrigerated transportation work?

Join Flexi Couriers as we explain the best practices for refrigerated transport and storage, providing all shippers with expert delivery guidelines. We’ll help you know how these practices ensure your fruits, veggies, and meats arrive crisp, cool, and ready to enjoy.

So, let’s explore the secrets behind keeping your food fresh and your deliveries reliable.

Key Guidelines for Refrigerated Transport and Logistics

• Ensure all parts, including walls, floors, mats, and refrigeration units, are regularly defrosted and seals on doors are checked.
• Products should be loaded at their required temperatures to prevent heat transfer and spoilage during transit.
• Proper air circulation is important, so avoid overloading to maintain optimal conditions inside the vehicle.
• Ensure the refrigeration system matches the load’s thermal mass and maximum capacity to maintain consistent temperatures.
• Use partitions to minimise heat transfer between different temperature products.
• Fresh, chilled, and frozen products should ideally be placed on separate pallets to minimise temperature variations unless proven otherwise by tests.
• Keep doors closed as much as possible during deliveries to prevent outside air from affecting internal temperatures.
• Consider using plastic curtains or insulated containers to reduce temperature fluctuations when doors are opened.

Basics of Refrigerated Transportation | Flexi Courier

Refrigerated transportation, also known as reefer shipping or cold chain logistics, involves moving perishable goods that need to stay at specific temperatures. This includes fresh produce, medical supplies, and other temperature-sensitive items.

Keeping these products cool prevents spoilage and contamination.

General Freight & Transport comes with its challenges. Risks include temperature changes, uneven cold air distribution, improper temperature settings, and equipment breakdowns. These issues can lead to costly insurance claims and damaged business relationships. At Flexi Courier, we use refrigerated trailers, or reefers, that have advanced refrigeration units to maintain the right temperature inside the trailer.

Why Best Practices for Refrigerated Transportation?

FDA (Food and Drug Administration) published a rule for STF (Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food) in April 2016.

This rule requires shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers to follow documented sanitary practices to ensure food safety during transportation. It aims to prevent food safety risks during transportation, such as improper refrigeration, insufficient vehicle cleaning, and poor food protection.

Moreover, the International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA) created the best practices for refrigerated transportation guide, helping industry professionals understand and adopt best practices.

Here’s a brief summary of the STF rule:

‘This rule builds on current safe food transportation best practices and ensures that those involved in transporting food at high risk for contamination follow appropriate sanitary practices. The rule is flexible, allowing the industry to continue using best practices for cleaning, inspection, maintenance, loading and unloading, and vehicle operation to prevent food contamination linked to food safety.’

6 Best Practices for Refrigerated Transport Services

1. Monitor and Maintain Precise Temperature Control

Maintaining accurate temperature control during refrigerated transport is important to safeguarding the quality and safety of perishable and temperature-sensitive goods throughout their journey.

Let’s explore the key technologies and practices that make this possible:

• Use Telematics:

Imagine having real-time insights into where your goods are and what temperature they’re at all the time. Telematics systems provide exactly that.

They monitor the location and temperature inside refrigerated vehicles continuously. This technology not only ensures that products are kept at the right temperature but also allows quick adjustments and route optimizations if conditions change unexpectedly.

• Employ Sensors:

Smart sensors inside the refrigerated container, diligently track the temperature of your goods.

They provide instant feedback if there’s any fluctuation, helping operators take immediate action to maintain ideal conditions. This real-time monitoring is crucial for preventing spoilage and ensuring that goods meet regulatory standards for temperature-sensitive products.

• Implement AI-powered Analytics:

AI isn’t just for sci-fi movies—it’s also used in logistics to predict when equipment might need attention before it breaks down.

Predictive maintenance systems analyze data from refrigeration units to identify patterns and potential issues. By detecting problems early, they prevent costly disruptions and ensure reliable performance throughout the journey.

• Use Advanced Refrigeration Units:

Today’s refrigeration units are equipped with advanced features like multi-zone settings and humidity control.

These capabilities allow them to create customised environments within the same container, perfect for transporting different types of goods that require specific temperature and humidity levels. Remote monitoring further enhances control, enabling operators to adjust settings and monitor performance remotely, ensuring everything stays just right.

• Understand ‘Off Time’ Impact:

‘Off time’ refers to periods when the refrigeration unit isn’t actively cooling, such as during stops or idling.

For frozen products, minor temperature variations can be bearable. However, for fresh produce and sensitive medications, even slight changes can affect quality. Managing ‘off time’ effectively is important to maintaining consistent temperatures and ensuring goods arrive in top condition.

• Manage Air Flow:

Arrange the products inside a refrigerated truck in a way that air flows freely around them. This practice helps maintain uniform temperatures throughout the container.

Additionally, by placing goods away from walls and doors, where temperature fluctuations are more likely, logistics experts create a protective barrier of air that insulates against external conditions. This careful planning minimises the risk of temperature spikes and preserves the freshness of the cargo.

2. Use Proper Loading and Packaging Techniques

Proper loading and packaging are key to keeping refrigerated shipments fresh during transportation. Here’s how to do it right:

• Use Quality Packaging: Choose durable, moisture-resistant materials to shield your cargo from external elements and maintain freshness.
• Precooling: Cool the trailer to the optimal temperature before loading to preserve freshness and extend shelf life.
• Sanitise Thoroughly: Clean the reefer unit before loading to remove any odours or contaminants that could affect the cargo.
• Inspect for Damage: Before loading, check the trailer for cracks, holes, or faulty seals that could compromise the refrigerated environment. This ensures the interior temperature stays stable.

Explore more about: Pick and Pack Services

3. Ensure Timeliness, Avoid Delays

In warehousing and freight transport, delays can be costly, not just because they put products at risk but also because they can lead to further consequences down the line. Our refrigerated couriers follow these practical tips to ensure timely deliveries and reliability:

• Track in Real-Time: Monitor vehicle locations, temperatures, and potential issues live. This allows for quick responses and keeps stakeholders informed.
• Prepare for the Unexpected: Have possibility plans ready (plans B, C, and D) to handle unforeseen events like traffic or mechanical issues quickly.
• Plan Efficient Routes: Use advanced software to analyze historical data, traffic routes, and weather conditions for optimal route planning.
• Train the Drivers Well: Proper training on efficient driving, route familiarity, and safety protocols promotes punctuality and reliability.
• Build Strong Partnerships: Collaborate closely with shippers, receivers, and infrastructure providers to ensure smooth operations and effective communication.

4. Maintain Safety and Quality Standards

Ensuring your goods reach customers on time and in top condition is key. Equally important is following all necessary safety protocols— it’s not only the best approach but a legal obligation as well.

Here’s how following safety and quality standards benefits everyone:

• Get the temperature-controlled systems to maintain specific temperature ranges for different cargo types to ensure safety and maintain product quality.
• Comply with emissions standards, such as the EPA’s Tier 4 Final rule to affect reefer unit technology and operations, promoting environmental protection.
• Follow regulations like those from the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) to ensure vehicle safety, driver qualifications, and service hours are maintained.

5. Adapt Expert Handling Techniques

To excel in refrigerated transport, it’s important to go beyond just having refrigerated trucks. It involves customizing each truck and its refrigerated containers according to the exact needs of the products being transported.

Different temperature-sensitive goods require tailored processes and techniques. For example, pharmaceuticals require different handling than agricultural products like fruits and vegetables.

Here’s how to master in expert handling:

• Hire skilled workers or train your staff to handle different types of goods with precision and care.
• Avoid the one-size-fits-all approach; tailor handling methods to suit each type of perishable goods.
• Use specialised packaging materials such as insulated containers to maintain optimal conditions during transport.
• Treat each product according to its unique requirements; for instance, handle seafood with delicate care and ensure constant water circulation.
• Be mindful of ethylene-sensitive products like berries, which require careful separation and packaging to avoid spoilage.

6. Get Transparent Communication Systems for Better Efficiency

In refrigerated transport Perth, speed is crucial. However, what truly seeds up deliveries is transparent and efficient communication. Without them, achieving quick deliveries becomes challenging. They form the backbone of effectiveness and efficiency throughout the transport process.

Here are practical tips to ensure transparency and effective communication:

• Pre-defined Alerts: Set thresholds for immediate alerts, such as temperature deviations, ensuring swift corrective actions.
• Real-time Data Access: Stay updated with live location and temperature monitoring.
• Secure Communication Platforms: Use secure channels for real-time exchanges between shippers, carriers, and receivers, fostering collaboration and informed decision-making.
• Comprehensive Reporting: Compile detailed reports integrating temperature records, location updates, and communication logs for valuable insights and continuous improvements.

Looking for reliable refrigerated transport services in Perth?

Contact Flexi Couriers for Safe & Temperature-controlled Transport Solutions

With our focus on reliability, affordability, customer satisfaction, and advanced technology, we ensure that your goods are delivered safely and on time. Choose Flexi Couriers for all your transport needs.

Call us at 08 6388 1117

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