Refrigerated Trucking
Shipping and transportation of refrigerated commodities has transformed the refrigerated trucking industry over the last 30 years, as refrigerated trade chains are now global.
Perishable products and temperature sensitive products are shipped beyond the nation’s borders and must quickly reach their intended destination on time and in the original condition. The primary modes of transport for portions or most of the route are refrigerated trailers.
To achieve the best results, refrigerated shipping companies make use of refrigerated trailers, which employ reliable and time-tested refrigeration units, generally referred to as a transport refrigeration unit (TRU).
Engineering and design improvements have made today’s TRUs more operationally sophisticated, fuel efficient, environmentally friendly, and from a service perspective, more durable and reliable. Regardless of these improvements, while beneficial to the overall goal of delivering refrigerated cargo safely and on time, should never take the place of a planned and adhered to maintenance strategy.
Thus, it is the maintenance aspect that makes the refrigerated trailer more expensive for refrigerated trucking companies to operate.
To lower shipping costs when the commodity does not require temperature control, some refrigerated shipping companies make use of insulated shipping products.
These insulated shipping products ensure that the quality of the product is maintained and not damaged by outside temperatures. However, these products are passive and do not actively cool down the payload (actual product). So lets review some of the differences between insulated freight shipping versus temperature controlled freight shipping.
Insulated Trailers and Containers for Freight Shipping
There are companies that offer insulated shipping services which are employed when active temperature control is not required, but the freight shipped still has to be transported within a temperature range.
These insulated products are commonly used in less than truckload LTL shipments. Most of these shipping materials are easy to obtain and much of it can be reused.
There are several types of insulation and storage products available, so lets review some of them.
Insulated Pallet Covers:
These covers are ideal for LTL shipments, as they are based on bubble foil technology and are ideal for covering single pallets. They are made using 2 layers of bubble foil technology that is capable of reflecting 96% of the radiant heat. They are lightweight, easy to use, and greatly reduce heat transfer. They are available in standard sizes and can also be custom sized for on the freight width and height.
Insulating Cargo Blankets:
This is another cost effective method used for the insulation of products during shipping or storage. These blankets act as an ideal thermal barrier between the internal products and the external extreme heat or cold. They can be custom made depending on the size of the shipment, and are capable of insulating an entire truckload of freight. They are tested under extreme conditions to make sure that they are capable of handling extreme variations in climate.
Thermal Insulation Blanket:
This is a special type of blanket that is designed for protecting the freight from thermal variations. It is capable of withstanding temperature fluctuations in wide ranges and doesn’t allow for heat transfer.
Temperature Controlled Trailers and Crates for Freight Shipping
For active cooling of product, a refrigeration system is required. Today’s reefer trailers employ fairly sophisticated refrigeration units. Plus, trailer walls and floors are designed to promote maximum air circulation for efficient and even cooling of the freight. Some of the notable refrigerated trailer manufacturers are:
- Utility
- Wabash
- Great Dane
- Dorsey
- Kidron
- Trailmobile
To add to the overall reliability and safety features for maintaining constant temperatures in the trailer, microcomputers and sensors are used to record and predict temperature changes.
Two of the largest and notable North American manufacturers of refrigeration equipment and trailer refrigeration units are:
- Carrier Transicold
- Thermo King
Carrier Transicold concentrates on its heavy-duty line, whereas Thermo King mainly addressed medium-duty trucking needs.
As an example Carrier has a model for 53-foot refrigerated vans, the Vector 6500, which the company claims increases fuel efficiency by 38% over diesel-only reefers at current diesel prices.
Keeping transport refrigeration units (TRUs) well maintained and performing at peak operating condition is an important aspect of a reliable cold chain that safely delivers produce, meat, seafood, frozen foods, pharmaceuticals and many other products.
A refrigerated trucking companies maintenance program not only helps protect refrigerated cargo, it also alleviates many unanticipated equipment failures that can lead to the expensive costs of having to discard a spoiled shipment. That is why refrigerated trucking companies have higher maintenance cost associated with refrigerated trailers versus dry van trailer operational cost.
Reefer Equipment and Freight Monitoring
Drivers often can’t “stick” the freight with a thermometer before accepting the freight. Nowadays, most of the freight is sealed and drivers cannot be involved in temperature monitoring.
There are numerous devices and services that monitor the actual temperature of the refrigerated cargo. Most of these devices can be embedded into the cargo packaging and then actively monitored or audited at the final delivery location for all the temperature fluctuations during transit, right from the pick up location.
Some of the leading temperatures monitoring systems are:
- Reefer Trak
- R:Com
- TrackKing – Thermo King
To track the location of reefer trailers, GPS / satellite units are utilized for tracking and monitoring purposes, these units also add safety for the driver, as the location of the refrigerated trailer can be easily determined.
Some systems offer theft prevention features which include; door opening alarms and other sensors that indicate sealed portions of the trailer or freight have been opened.
Low fuel level warnings can also be sent via email, SMS or a live call to a phone allowing for the refrigerated trucking company to react.
Typically freight is monitored via a secure website, and information can also be sent via cell phones and PDAs. Alarms can be transmitted through a call tree, being a chain of individuals who can be notified of an event.
As an example when the customer complains about a temperature issue, you can prove that the customer gave the refrigerated trucking company the load warm at the shipping dock.
The data in the temperature monitoring system can prove they had left the load on the dock for 24 hours before loading. Thus, the load was out of the permissible temperature range before being loaded onto the refrigerated trailer.
Food Shipping Regulation
Hazard analysis and critical control points, or HACCP is a systematic preventive approach to food safety and biological, chemical, and physical hazards in food production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe.
Since refrigerated food transport is part of the food production and delivery process, the HAACP requirements are applied.
The HACCP system is used for all stages of the food chain, from food production and preparation processes, to packaging, transportation, distribution, etc.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), state that mandatory HACCP programs are in place for juice production, seafood production and meat production.
According to the USDA / FDA these are effective approaches to food safety and protecting the public health. The USDA regulates meat production HACCP systems, while the FDA regulates seafood production and juice production.
The use of HACCP is currently voluntary in other food industries, but for refrigerated shipping it is adhered to by food producers.
For all your refrigerated shipping and the transport portion of the cold chain, please contact one of our refrigerated freight consultants at Great Western Transportation.
Refrigerated Trucking Services
- 40″x48″ pallets, load bars and commercial bulkheads.
- Team drivers and expedited service is available.
- Dry, refrigerated and frozen commodities shipped.
- Dual evaporator (two zone) equipped trailers.
- High capacity, air-ride, temperature-controlled trailers.
- Intra-state and inter-state services.
- Pickup and delivery services for 24/7 appointments.
- We specialize in warehouse deliveries such as “COSTCO”, “TARGET”, “Walmart”, plus all other commercial warehouses.
