Transporting food during warm weather

Safety checklist when transporting food during warm weather

As the summer approaches, commercial drivers who transport perishable food should be reminded of their company- and/or shipper-mandated safety precautions. A little vigilance may prevent a rejected load at the receiver. Consider the following suggested practices.

Tranport Perishable Food - Pickup

• ❑ Know the correct shipping temperature for the product.
• ❑ Find out if the reefer unit should be in stop/start or continuous mode.
• ❑ Perform a pretrip of the reefer unit, including the following components:
  • Belts
  • Fluids:
    • Levels (oil, coolant, and fuel), and
    • Signs of leakage
  • Electrical connections
  • Chute or duct condition
  • Compartment door seals
• ❑ Test the reefer unit by making sure:
  • It starts and stays running, and
  • The thermometer works.
• ❑ Before loading:
  • Precool the trailer, and
  • Get the box down to temperature.
• ❑ Minimize loading time, unless backed up to a cold storage dock.
• ❑ For proper air flow, use:
  • Spacers on the sidewalls and at the ends of the trailer, and
  • Pallets on the floor.
• ❑ Close trailer doors immediately after pulling away from the dock.

Tranport Perishable Food - En route

• ❑ Inspect the trailer’s exterior for damage or signs of tampering.
• ❑ Check for signs of leakage (fluids) or other problems with the reefer unit.
• ❑ Monitor the temperature function of the refrigeration unit:
  • After each stop, or
  • At least once every three hours.
• ❑ Check the reefer unit’s fuel level.
• ❑ Keep in-transit time to a minimum to reduce opportunity for spoilage.
• ❑ Record box temperatures at specific intervals either manually or through the temperature log on the unit.

Tranport Perishable Food - Delivery

• ❑ Check and document overall condition of the product:
  • Damage
  • Quality
  • Temperature
• ❑ Record the temperature readings on shipping papers:
  • Pulp or core temperature (i.e., inside of product), and
  • Box or trailer temperature.
• ❑ Move product from loading docks into storage immediately.

Staged equipment (if managed by motor carrier)

• ❑ Clean trailer interior regularly.
• ❑ Keep the box or trailer free of debris and dirt.
• ❑ Remove residues from previous cargo.
• ❑ Wash and sanitize:
  • Load-securing devices; and
  • Loading equipment, e.g., hand trucks, forklifts.
• ❑ Make sure cleaning and sanitizing solutions do not create a contaminant