How To Prevent Rejected Loads in Refrigerated Transport
Joe Dickman | November 4th, 2021
The goal of refrigerated transportation is to ensure the integrity of the products you’re delivering. When it comes to food products, you must go above and beyond to guarantee that your cargo doesn’t become contaminated and is safe to unload once you’ve arrived at your final destination. Read on to discover tips for how to prevent rejected loads in refrigerated transport.
The Issue of Rejected Loads
There’s always going to be a demand for fresh products like flowers, fruits, and vegetables. However, when these products arrive late, damaged, or spoiled, they become unsafe to eat and need to be discarded, causing severe issues. Some of the consequences for rejected loads include compensating for the unusable cargo and adding extra miles to have your truck washed out.
Make Sure Products Are Properly Cooled Before Loading
You need to make sure the products you are transporting aren’t sitting on the loading dock for an extended amount of time. When chilled goods sit outside of their properly refrigerated units, they begin to warm up and can then spoil. You need to check your product’s temperature right before leaving to ensure that it’s not already compromised.
Install Active Alarms
When your refrigeration unit breaks down during transportation, it has the potential to compromise the cargo. Recognizing when breakdowns occur as soon as possible is just as important as knowing how to fix them. You can install Active Alarms that watch for equipment failure and radio back to your dispatcher, who can then help you repair the problem.
Know the Proper Regulations
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), enacted in 2018, set up seven primary rules for food cultivation, harvesting, and transportation. The legislation specifies requirements for vehicles and transportation equipment used for food goods. It includes guidelines on food delivery, worker training, and record keeping. You should familiarize yourself with these guidelines to prevent contamination during transportation.
Understanding how to prevent rejected loads in refrigerated transport can save you and your company time, money, and headaches. Emerald Transportation Solutions offers incredibly reliable commercial refrigerated trucks so you can feel confident that your products are safely delivered. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have about our vehicles.
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What does under DOT mean?
Questions regarding DOT requirements come up often. 10,000 lbs GVW (gross vehicle weight) and over are commercial vehicles that fall under the Department of Transportation regulatory requirements.
What is the difference between GVW and payload?
GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight is the entire weight of the vehicle including the payload. The payload weight represents the amount of cargo you are hauling.
What is a self-powered unit and a vehicle-powered unit?
A self-powered unit has its own fuel source and will run independent of the truck. This is the heaviest and most expensive option. While vehicle-powered units run off the engine via a compressor mounted on the engine. These are less expensive and lighter in weight but you must run the truck or plug the electric standby into shore power.
What does K-factor mean and why is that important?
K-factor is a term that stands for the overall insulating value of the container (truck body). Quite simply the lower the K-factor the better the truck body will be able to maintain a given temperature and require less energy to do so.
How much lighter is a Poly Van vs a US spec body?
Poly Van bodies are very light. On average we estimate we are 75-150 lbs per foot lighter than a traditional sheet and post foamed in place body. These weight savings translates to less fuel burn and less CO2 emissions, along with added payload, the most important benefit.
