The summertime brings with it a handful of different transport needs for companies around the world. While cargo containers are designed to reflect much of the sun’s heat, it doesn’t stop the metal building material from absorbing some of this heat and pulling it into the interior. This means while you might have utilized a traditional cargo container and truck as your form of shipment throughout the rest of the year, you might want to consider taking advantage of a refrigerated transport truck during the hot months. Extreme heat can affect several products, and refrigerated transport can help with these problems and prevent any damage to your goods during shipment. To help keep your products fresh for arrival, here is what you need to know about using refrigerated transportation for your produce during the summer season.
Refrigeration Transportation
The Interior of a Refrigerated Trailer is temperature-controlled, to keep food fresh or frozen. Temperature settings can range from -20 degrees to 70 degrees. “Reefers” are also utilized to keep certain dry goods cool and intact during the Summer months. Often, plastics, medication, and adhesives are shipped on “Reefers” to prevent melting or deterioration. If you have a specific temperature, you need your produce set at, so make sure to talk with your shipping provider to determine the truck’s temperature. If you are looking at combining your shipment with the shipment of other companies in less than a full truckload, the temperature will be set for the entire container.
Typically, all produce will be shipped together so the required temperature will be consistent for all companies. Companies that are shipping medication and other goods might need a shift in the temperature, but they will likely be sent in a different truck as not to combine the produce and their goods.
Both LTL and Full TL Options Available
Outside of the cooling method found within the truck, the rest of the shipment process will be the same, so you shouldn’t notice any real difference. You can ship out either a full load or a partial LTL shipment. Most companies take advantage of the less than the full truckload method when it comes to refrigeration. Because it requires the use of continual cooling methods while in transit, the shipment costs do increase. Due to this, many companies will pay for partial LTL shipments for the product that needs to take advantage of this feature. Then it will use traditional forms of shipment to send out the rest of their goods, even if it means using an LTL shipment for a non-refrigerated transport truck.
Inflating Fuel Costs, delicate products, and time-sensitive deliveries all contribute to the increased cost of shipping on a Refrigerated Trailer. To reduce expenses, ‘Consolidation’ should be considered. All perishable goods are permitted to travel with a similar product, assuming temperatures are similar. A ‘Bulk Head’ can be used to divide a trailer in half, if two different temperatures are required.
Providing You With Real-Time Updates
When sending out shipments, knowing arrival time is vital to multiple departments. This doesn’t just help with peace of mind, but it aids the receiver in properly allocating resources to handle an incoming shipment. Production may need raw materials, the sales team might be waiting for approval, or a delivery truck might be waiting to make a local delivery.
Thanks to the real-time GPS tracking available with all trucks and transport vehicles used by RJS Logistics, you can monitor all truck movements, where they are, and when the estimated shipment time is set to be (and if there are any changes for reasons like accidents, construction, or other unforeseen issues). After all, when it comes to shipping produce, you need the product to arrive as quickly as possible.
If you want to learn more about the use of refrigerated transport trucks during the summer season and whether or not this is the right solution for your particular business, RJS Logistics is here to help and address all of your concerns. Even if you are currently using another shipping service provider for regular, non-refrigerated shipments, RJS Logistics has no minimum requirements.
Take Care Of Your Produce By Using Refrigerated Transport Options
Depending on the produce you ship, you may be able to get away with not using refrigerated transportation during other times of the year. However, in the hot and sticky summer months, that is completely different. While regular cargo trucks are designed to keep much of the external temperature out, they will still absorb the sun’s heat and become warm inside. It doesn’t matter if you require just a partial or a full load shipment. With a refrigerated truck, you’ll extend the life of your produce while keeping your customers happy.
If you’d like to learn more about refrigerated transportation and how it can work for you, or if you’re ready to begin scheduling new refrigerated trucks, now is the time to contact our staff here at RJS Logistics. Customer service specialists are on hand to address all of your questions and to help you connect with the right shipment services for your company’s needs.
