It can be difficult to time refrigerated deliveries correctly, especially when you’re trying to ensure that the temperature of the goods remains safe and satisfactory for your customers. Refrigeration van is more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible than ever. Nevertheless, here we have compiled 4 simple tricks which you can try to help better time your cargo transportation and avoid spoiled loads which give you a bad reputation in the cold chain space.
Stop loading hot loads
Estimates suggest that around 32% of all cargo is loaded at the wrong temperature, meaning that your cargo is doomed from the very beginning. Don’t leave your cargo sitting on a dock for extended periods of time – make sure that it gets into the refrigerated truck in plenty of time. If you invest in Advanced Temperature Monitoring systems, your drivers will be informed that their load is hot within 30 minutes of it happening. Although this isn’t ideal, it means that you can save time by stopping hot loads in their tracks and taking appropriate corrective actions.
Maintain your equipment regularly
It may seem obvious, but a surprising amount of carriers have a care-free attitude to their refrigerated trucks and equipment, only repairing them when they end up breaking down. Of course, this is always going to happen at the most inopportune moment, potentially costing your company a bunch of time and money. A broken reefer unit leads to a spoiled load, which could see you losing a whole bunch of money and time if you’re not careful – be sure to maintain and repair your trucks on a regular basis.
Immediate proof on delivery
For each and every reefer unit, you need to ensure that you are complying with regulations, auditing them regularly, and documenting everything that is going on inside the unit. If one of your drivers is questioned when they get to their destination, they ideally need to be able to provide immediate proof on delivery that the cargo has been stored at a safe temperature throughout the trip. With modern temperature monitoring solutions, your drivers can provide instantaneous vehicle and reefer unit data, with the data being sent to the receiving party seamlessly. This should help to streamline the handover process, which could see loads spoil if drawn out for too long.
Routes
Although a GPS system is likely to calculate which route is the quickest route in theory, your drivers will often tell you that this is not the case in reality. For example, traffic problems, single-lane roads, and poor-quality beaten-up roads can all slow down your drivers on these supposedly “fast” routes. Roads which are of poor quality, for instance, cannot be detected by GPS systems, so you should consider giving your drivers some leeway if they think that there may be a faster or more efficient route for their journey. After all, they’re the ones driving the routes! If you’re lucky, you may discover more efficient routes which allow your drivers to cut down their journey times and get to those warehouses more quickly.
There are many things you can do to help improve the timing and punctuality of your drivers, from technological improvements to driver training and monitoring programs. Whatever you decide to try, just make sure that you keep the customer in mind and assess how your changes will affect the experience from their end.
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