Stores and supermarkets are filled with food products that must be stored at low temperatures. Frozen foods, meat products, fish and seafood are placed in refrigerators and freezers. There is a certain temperature in the stores, because frozen products are not the only ones that are harmed by heat: fruits and vegetables, confectionery, cosmetics, ornamental plants and flowers also do not like high temperatures. The storage of goods at the point of production and later distribution is one issue, but a separate problem is the transportation of these products so that they do not lose their properties and are thus suitable for sale.
What is a cold chain?
The transportation industry uses the term “cold chain” to mean the necessity of uninterrupted preservation of the products’ temperature throughout the entire logistical process: from the moment of production, through transportation and storage, to distribution at the points designated for this purpose. The moment of transportation is the most sensitive part of this chain, requiring the carrier to provide professional equipment and the service of experienced personnel.
Regulations on the transportation of fresh and perishable products
The most important documents regulating the rules for the transportation of fresh and perishable products are the Road Transport Law (Journal of Laws 2001 No. 125 item 1371) and the so-called ATP Agreement constructed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Working Party on the Transport of Perishable Foodstuffs) in Geneva, which regulates the conditions for the transportation of foodstuffs. The ATP agreement specifies what types of articles we can categorize as perishable, what the temperature in the vehicles during transport should be, and what conditions must be met by vehicles transporting these articles. The conditions for testing vehicles and how they are marked are also specified by the said agreement. Each vehicle transporting fresh products must also meet certain thermal insulation conditions and have a cooling unit to ensure that the required body temperature is maintained. An important term here is the “global heat transfer coefficient of the body walls” – Determining its magnitude and checking the cooling capacity of the vehicle requires several days of measurements of temperatures outside and inside the body. These measurements are carried out only by institutions authorized by the Minister of Transportation under the conditions of socialist test chambers.
What are the characteristics of refrigerated semi-trailer vehicles?
Modern refrigerated semi-trailer vehicles can maintain the temperature of the interior of the vehicle from +12 to -20 degrees Celsius and the environmental conditions outside do not affect this temperature, which, incidentally, is additionally controlled remotely through special devices. Each such vehicle must be equipped with a thermograph (temperature recorder with printer) and is subjected to regular disinfection. The truck driver must have a medical certificate of fitness for work and confirmation of the relevant sanitary examinations.
Transportation of fresh products at LCL
The services offered by LCL Spedition also include transportation of fresh products. The company’s fleet includes several modern trucks with Schmitz refrigerated trailers, equipped with GPS systems that monitor the location of the vehicle and cargo. In addition, there is a truck wash of sister company at the company’s site LCL Car Wash, which offers a service for disinfecting the interior of vehicles, so we take comprehensive care of the cars and equipment in our fleet on our own.
Refrigerated transport is certainly a challenge for the carrier, who is responsible not only for getting the shipment intact, but also has to protect it from the wrong temperature for it. At the same time, it’s a service that continues to grow in demand, so we can expect more refrigerated transport vehicles on the road and the introduction of more and more innovative solutions to streamline the whole process.
