The last thing a person in business would want for the business goods is to arrive with a truckload full of damaged, spoiled products after a long day. So here comes the mention of refrigerated transport, which is, though, far from new.

Yes, just like in your house refrigerator, transport vehicles with a consistently refrigerated cooling function transfer any foods and goods while keeping them cool or at a certain temperature. 

Let's take some time to dive more into the details of this refrigerated delivery service system.

Why refrigerated delivery service is a must

Suppose you are in a seafood hotel business, promising to serve quality, where your fresh ingredients need to be transported. At this point, the transportation will completely rely on refrigerated delivery services.

But no, even though most of our minds go straight to food items whenever we think of goods that need refrigerated transport service, this is not limited only to food goods. When the food service industry uses them to deliver the best fresh effect, the pharmaceutical industry takes the service to ensure the efficiency and safe transport of medicines or certain drugs. Even including artwork, antiques, beauty industries and others also refer to the service to be delivered with no glitch.

Moreover, the facilities that a refrigerated truck provides are also far beyond what is required. You can continuously monitor and control the temperature to ensure the value of your products. You can rest assured of the safe shipment of your goods, be it globally, locally or regionally, with no fear of spoilage, theft or damage.

Mistakes of refrigerated transportation during shipping

Along with the benefits, there is also some room for error that might occur during transport. Lack of maintenance of the condition of the items results in the spoilage of goods.

Here are some possible mistakes-

Avoid the specification about temperature

One common mistake of companies is that they don't study the acceptable temperature and humidity specifications before loading the products. This brings the act of setting the wrong temperature that exceeds the tolerance level of the temperature-sensitive goods. For example, the temperature for pharmaceuticals varies depending on the chemical components, and the wrong temperature affects chemical stability. In the case of food packages, it causes the growth of harmful bacteria, while for the fresh flower shipment, the excessive heat can cause the flowers to wilt.

Improper equipment design

Sometimes, the breakdown of shipping containers also happens for overweight goods and for not checking the stability and strength of the containers. The wrong size or design of the transporting equipment can cause the goods to collide with each other. If you choose a bigger box without properly measuring the goods' size, there is a huge chance that the goods will fall into the free space and definitely get spoiled or marked. Ultimately, the faulty shipment becomes very costly as the receiver will refuse to accept those damaged shipments for a very obvious reason.

No instruction in labelling

The mislabeled freight can cause damage to items. When proper or special instructions are not mentioned in the packaging label, it is obvious that the handlers or freight forwarders might mismanage the packages while loading the products. For example, suppose your food items need to be kept at a consistent temperature within a specific temperature range, and you have to put the particular instructions on the label; otherwise, the mishaps will definitely cost a huge amount along with your goods.

Poor packaging

Packaging plays a vital role in ensuring safe refrigerated shipping. Packaging is necessary not only for marketing purposes but also to protect the quality of goods. Improper packaging even limits the life of sensitive items to a minimum due to the movement of the vehicle, negligence of the delivery providers, or many other causes. The products might get spoiled, broken or leaked at any time throughout the journey from suppliers to customers, which brings a nightmare for the company. Even if it forgets about the cost of the first shipment, the company might be bound to send all the replacements at its own cost.

Mismanagement in transport settings

Sometimes, due to an operational error or a unit problem, problems in refrigerated transport might happen. Most of the refrigerated units are equipped with computerised controls to protect the transported goods from any unwelcome changes. Even some multi-temperature refrigerated trailers work to provide different temperatures in a single trailer, too. Therefore, any malfunction of these units can actually cause a disaster in temperature management, as well as not cleaning and sanitising the trailer, becoming a source of contaminants to spread.

Improper loading procedure

The way cargo is loaded into a refrigerated trailer is important to determine the safe delivery. The mismanagement of the loaders brings huge costs. Suppose, in a multi-temperature trailer, goods are supposed to be kept in a sequenced way, like the frozen ones at the front, chilled goods in the middle and the ambient ones at the end. If the loaders somehow fail to maintain the appropriate loading form, the whole shipping process will be a waste. It is necessary for the loaders to load products quickly and efficiently while keeping their eyes on every piece of equipment and product, per the specification.  

Lack of sufficient refrigerant

Just as a refrigerant absorbs the heat inside a fridge, the refrigerant in refrigerated transport also works as the cooling system. Depending on the shipping container's size and temperature requirement, one should decide how many refrigerants are needed for shipping; otherwise, the lack of efficient refrigerant will hamper the quality. For example, a primary refrigerant may work to maintain a seawater temperature but will not work to freeze any goods.

Delays in shipping

The delivery problem has always been an all-time high issue that suppliers and retailers experience. Though modern refrigerant transport services are much more efficient, this does not refer to removing the possibility of delayed shipping. For example, suppose you might not find it necessary to secure the pallets of your food goods or use a regular shrink wrap to wrap the goods, as the distance was about 6 hours. But what if it takes more than 14 hours! No wonder taking the distance and time as granted is another mistake made by refrigerated delivery services.

How can we ensure maintained and secure refrigerated trucking?

Despite all these possible mistakes that might happen, proper planning can lead to a hassle-free refrigerated transportation service. So let's explore the following points.

• Go through the written contract/instructions of the suppliers to get a clear idea about the transported items.
• Ensure damage-resistant packaging, keeping the appropriate size of the items in mind.
• Ensure a sanitised and clean space, and set the thermostat per the specification.
• Pre-cooling the space to maintain a stable temperature and ensure plenty of cooling capacity to remove all heat before loading.
• Do a pre-trip test to ensure that the operations are operating properly.
• If there are some sensitive supplies on board, ensure proper planning to load and unload properly, such as consistent cool temperature for items that can't withstand excessive heat.
• Keep an eye on the loaders to see how they are arranging the goods while placing the cargo boxes inside the transport.
• While in transit, make sure that the driver has the experience to control and monitor cargo temperature depending on different temperature zones.
• All records should be maintained for any activities, be it to trace later or for any recall purposes.
• Always be ready to deal with any equipment failure situation to ensure arrival on time.

There are also plenty, but these are some basics that might work to prevent mistakes during refrigerated delivery services.

Working with the right logistics company is essential

For many sectors, refrigerated transportation is more than an option; it is a necessity. With all of the possible mistakes, one needs to pick an experienced logistics company to get better and safer service. Since logistics are more like bridges that link the gap between a company and the receiver, one should definitely work with the right one for great customer retention. Plenty of logistics companies serve customers with refrigerated truck service, container service, and other solutions. OFE Refrigerated Transport is one such transport and logistics service provider that caters to customers with refrigerated transport in Melbourne, followed by other carriers and solutions.

Preferring poor logistics can give you a surprising attack with all the possible mistakes that we discussed above and warrant the chances to erase the existence of your business profit margin. Moreover, poor service will dent the company's image and risk your company's money, loyalty, and reputation.

The demand for fresh perishable goods is in an up-and-coming scenario, and so is the necessity of refrigerated transportation. However, even experts are also expecting continuous further growth in this segment, so it is high time to take full advantage, but of course, with the right company.