Have you ever wondered what drayage is? Perhaps you hear the term mentioned by other shippers, motor carriers, or your logistics providers. You’ve likely heard some other terms associated with drayage, like demurrage or drop fees, and are curious what those are. Well, if drayage is piquing your curiosity, we’re here to help you learn what it is and if it’s for your business. Here are the most asked questions we receive about drayage from our shipper relationships.

What is Drayage?

This is a great question. You’re probably wondering, what does drayage even mean? Essentially, drayage is the local movement of a container from point A to point B, usually less than 100 to 200 miles. Point A and point B can be moving it from a terminal or port to a receiver or from a shipper back to the terminal or port location.

How Does Drayage Work?

There are two different forms of drayage – imports and exports.

For example, let’s say you have an imported container coming into the U.S. from another country into a terminal, like Los Angeles. As your third-party logistics (3PL) provider, we help you arrange the move of that container to be picked up by a drayage carrier at the terminal and transported to its destination or receiver. 

Now, for the second example, let’s say you have freight that you need to get transported on a ship from the U.S. to another country. As your trusted 3PL, we’ll help arrange a drayage carrier to assist you in getting your freight to the port. That drayage carrier will pick up an empty container from the terminal and bring it to your pickup location to get loaded. Then the drayage carrier will take the container with your freight to the port to be loaded onto the ship.

Why is it Called Drayage?

The term dray refers to the movement of freight in a local setting, so a very local move. The word dray stems from moving freight or something heavy in a cart or wagon with no sides. This used to be done using horses, so you’d have dray horses moving dray carts. However, now the containers have replaced the carts, and trucks have replaced the horses, but the movement of freight still refers to a short, local move.

What’s the Difference Between Drayage and Freight?

Drayage itself is the movement of the freight. But what is the freight? The freight is the actual product being moved via drayage.

What is Demurrage?

First off, it’s pronounced like “duh-mur-uhj”. As a customer, you may see or hear the term demurrage from time to time. Essentially, it’s a storage fee.

Once your container arrives at its terminal or port, they are going to give you a certain number of days in which your container can sit there for free.

For example, let’s say you have three free days. Your container arrives on June 5^th, so you have June 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th, in which your container can sit there, free of charge. Once June 7^th approaches, that is called your Last Free Day (LFD). LFD is a term you will hear very often. Once it’s June 8^th, that is going to be the first day of demurrage, or the terminal or port charging you for storing your container and taking space in their yard.

Why is Drayage Important?

You may be wondering, what’s the big deal with drayage? Why do I hear this term so often? What do I need to know about drayage?

Drayage is important because it’s another mode, another way to move your freight. Instead of a standard truckload or less-than-truckload (LTL), it’s another way to get your freight overseas to its destination in the U.S. or from the U.S. to overseas. Really, it’s another way to reach your market or suppliers that may not be located here in the U.S.

What is a Drop Fee in Drayage?

This is important, as you want to know all the fees you may incur. You may be told that there’s a drop fee on your shipment. In a traditional shipment when picking up or delivering, they are being loaded or unloaded right then and there. This is what we call a live load.

In drayage, if a receiver says, “I need you to drop this container today, but we likely won’t be able to unload it until tomorrow. I’ll let you know once we can unload it and then you can come back.” This is where a drop fee comes in. Since the drayage carrier will have to drop the container and then come back to pick it up, the drop fee is a charge by the carrier for having to come back and pick up the empty container to return it to the terminal or port.

You want to make sure you’re having conversations with your logistics provider to get a full understanding of what’s needed for that container. Are they loading and unloading live or is it loading and unloading as a drop? That way you know whether to expect any drop fees.

What is a Chassis? Who Owns Them?

A chassis is the underbody of the truck and container. It’s what the container sits on. Pickup trucks have chassis, as do your 53-foot dry vans. 

Drayage carriers do not own chassis. Instead, the drayage carriers must rent the chassis from the terminal or port. Once the drayage carrier has the chassis hooked on, a crane will load a full or empty container onto the chassis for them to transport.

What is Overweight for Drayage?

Every drayage carrier has slightly different weight limits, but universally there are some general limits.

First off, you have different types of containers and sizes. The standard sizes are 20-foot and 40-foot containers, and you have refrigerated (also referred to as a reefer) or dry containers.

Refrigerated containers will be able to hold a little less than your dry containers because reefer containers hold heavier freight, like frozen goods. They also sometimes have generators connected to them as well, taking away from the amount they can carry.

A 20-foot refrigerated container can hold up to around 36,000 to 38,000 pounds.

A 40-foot refrigerated container can hold up to around 38,000 to 40,000 pounds.

A 20-foot dry container can hold up to 38,000 to 40,000 pounds.

A 40-foot dry container can hold up to 42,000 to 44,000 pounds.

Make sure you’re having a conversation with your logistics provider to get a full scope of the weights that can be handled so your freight can be loaded correctly on those containers.

Who Needs Drayage?

Well, if you’re reading this article, you might be considering drayage because there may be some point at which your business will need it. It’s a great mode and tool to have when you may be talking to other suppliers overseas. Drayage is one way to service them. For example, with drayage, you can say, “Not only can we get your freight from Germany to California, but we can do that final mile delivery for you as well.” It gives you more to offer your partners and another way to move your freight.

How is Drayage Cost Calculated?

As a customer of Trinity Logistics, we want to make sure we’re transparent with you and that you understand all the different charges that you may see or come across.

Typically, you’re going to have three charges that you’ll see on most of your drayage quotes.

First, there’s your line haul. That’s moving the freight from point A to point B.

Then, there’s your fuel surcharge, which is a percentage of your line haul for fuel expenses.

Lastly, there’s the chassis charge.

As far as any additional charges, your Trinity relationship will provide you with a list of any potential charges that may arise, such as that overweight fee, drop fee, hazmat, or refrigerated fee. We want to make sure you know exactly what you’re being charged so there are never any surprises.  

With cold chain logistics, every product that you deal with has very specific temperature requirements that you need to adhere to. These products are ending up on tables across the entire country, so you want to make your product arrives precisely the way it needs to be so it’s safe for human consumption. Because of this, cold chain logistics can be challenging to manage, and finding reliable providers can be frustrating. There are many moving parts of the cold chain that can be hard to follow and track. It would undoubtedly be helpful to find one provider that could offer you end-to-end cold chain management, from production to delivery. And that’s what we’re here to talk about today. Burris Logistics and Trinity Logistics working together could be the solutions you’ve been looking for to simplify your cold chain management. Keep reading to find out how we work better together to serve your complete cold chain.

BURRIS LOGISTICS CAPABILITIES

Let’s start with Burris Logistics. What do they offer that can enable cold chain shippers and their businesses to thrive in the face of its complexities?

Quick Background

Burris Logistics has been around for 96 years. The company started as a produce hauler from southern Delmarva to Philadelphia. They quickly grew and expanded into the frozen food business and found their purpose as a driven food logistics provider. Today, they own 14 cold storage sites up and down the east coast and out into Midwest. Burris Logistics currently has a family of brands including Burris PRW Plus, Honor Foods, and Trinity Logistics.

TRINITY LOGISTICS CAPABILITIES

Quick Background

Trinity Logistics has been around for over 40 years. The company was started by the Banning family in Cambridge, Maryland. Throughout the years, the company grew and expanded as a non-asset-based third-party logistics company (3PL) and was acquired by Burris in 2019. The two companies saw similarities in company culture and future goals, deciding to unite for greater opportunities and offer more supply chain solutions for our customers.

Burris + Trinity = Better TogetherURRIS

What’s great for Trinity being part of the Burris Logistics family of brands is being able to offer more help to Burris customers. Trinity’s support helps Burris better assist some of the existing freight business they have for customers either coming back into their buildings or going to other places.

The addition of Trinity also offers Burris customers a wider variety of options in modes and technology, or even help outside of the cold chain. Trinity is very experienced in heavy haul moves or more complicated hazardous moves for the chemical industry. So, no matter the size of your company or freight, we have a solution for you. But, we’re here to talk about the cold chain, so let’s focus on refrigerated and frozen freight.

HOW WE CAN SERVE YOUR COLD CHAIN BETTER TOGETHER

Experience in Cold Chain

For many reasons, Burris Logistics and Trinity work well together for cold chain shippers. First off is our combined years of experience. There are certain things in cold chain you can only learn from the experience of working with temperature-controlled shipments. For example, things like picking and loading fresh produce, understanding what those temperatures are and what they need to be for storage and transit, and keeping track of those temperatures. Or understanding how to move ice cream from the West Coast and knowing that you can’t go over the mountains; that you must travel around them so as not to cause shrinkage. By having years of experience and understanding of those complex situations and small details that make or break a cold chain shipment, you can trust your temperature-controlled freight is handled safely and correctly with Burris and Trinity.

Technology

Between both Burris and Trinity, we have incredible logistics technology available, but what differentiates us from others is that we keep in mind that logistics is still a “people” business. Technology will always be a tool for our Teams to use and bring logistics solutions to other people who need them. Therefore, we try to stay away from technology just for technology’s sake and make sure what we use and offer is always a valuable solution.

Communication

Because of our years of experience, we are well-versed and experienced in many different situations. We know when and how to pivot quickly and keep business moving forward. When issues arise, we work until they are resolved and keep open communication every step of the way. Having a solid relationship with experts like Burris and Trinity will prove to be your largest asset no matter what supply chain bottlenecks you may face

Flexible, Customized Solutions

Because our two businesses offer many options while keeping business People-Centric, it means you can find a solution that’s customized for your growing business and needs and your solution can be flexible. We know the cold chain and solutions aren’t static, they are ever-changing, so you need a provider that can keep up. By working with Burris and Trinity, you’ll never have to worry about changing up your logistics plan as we’re readily equipped to accommodate any changes you may need. In addition, we can help you stay flexible as one sole provider instead of working with several.

Visibility and End-to-End Cold Chain Management

As the cold chain sector continues to grow, there’s been a growing demand for efficiency and visibility throughout the supply chain. Companies don’t like to be left in the dark when it comes to the logistics of their temperature-controlled freight. Working with Burris and Trinity can not only give you a wide range of technology to gain visibility and provide you with all the logistics services you may need, thus making your cold chain efficient and transparent. We’ll provide you with dedicated, knowledgeable experts, increased productivity and workflows, and reduced complexity by working with Burris Logistics and their family of brands instead of several different providers.

HAVE YOUR COLD CHAIN LOGISTICS TAKEN CARE OF, END-TO-END

Between Trinity and Burris, we have a substantial Team with a lot of experience in cold chain and knowledge about its potential pitfalls. As a result, we’ve created processes and different services so that we get it right the first time, every time we handle a cold chain shipment.

You can find value in our combined companies’ sizes and services offered. Cold chain logistics can be complicated and trying to do it all alone can be frustrating. That’s why we’re here to help you simplify it. You can count on Burris Logistics and Trinity to serve and support your cold chain all the way from production to delivery, and every step between.

It’s produce season. That time of the year when produce shipments are at their peak and so are produce shipment rejections. According to DAT, up to 12 percent of shipments are rejected or delayed. Produce shipments are most often rejected because of the complexities of fresh food logistics. Because of their perishability, they are more likely to experience damage in transit due to improper handling, temperature variances, or delays. 

A produce shipment rejection can cause lost time, added fuel and shipping costs, wasted product, and sometimes even a strained relationship with your customer. In addition, these rejections can cause a domino effect of added issues, costs, paperwork, and make everyone’s day longer than it needs to be. Yet, with attention to detail, planning, and effective communication, you can prevent produce shipment rejections and manage your costs. Here’s some advice on preventing shipment refusal during produce season.

REASONS TO REJECT PRODUCE

With fresh produce being on average, 90 percent water, it’s a volatile product to ship. It can develop issues at any stage, during growth, harvest, storage, packing, or shipping. This makes the logistics of shipping produce that much more complicated. As a result, there can be many more reasons for produce shipment rejections to happen. So, what are some reasons for a produce shipment rejection?

Paperwork Errors/Wrong Product

The Bill of Lading (BOL) must match the shipment delivered. When the receiver checks the BOL to verify the purchase order (PO) number, skid, case count, and weight of the freight delivered, and it doesn’t line up, then the shipment may be rejected. This could happen for several reasons. For example, the product could be what they asked for but the wrong amount, or the product could be completely different. However, any discrepancy between what they ordered and what arrived will mean a rejected shipment.

*Important to note: A produce shipment should not be rejected if there is less than 50 percent of the product short or damaged.*

Pallet Configuration

Some customers require that the product arrives according to their specific guidelines for packaging. If their requested guidelines are not followed, or anything shifted, fell, or ripped while in transit, then they may refuse the shipment.

Improper Temperature Range

Maintaining integrity and freshness is serious when it comes to a perishable product like produce. If your produce shipment falls out of its needed temperature range, even by one degree, the receiver may reject your shipment. Unlike other types of freight, the chance for spoilage with produce is too high, so a receiver won’t often take on the liability with any temperature variances.

Delivered Late

Often, retail and grocery distributing centers operate on tight schedules, so a delay could impact their other appointments. Unfortunately, this means they rarely make exceptions when it comes to late shipments and your produce will be rejected.

Equipment Issues

The trailer could have been unable to keep the temperature in the range needed for your produce shipment or perhaps the trailer was not washed thoroughly before loading. Maybe the carrier showed up with a van and you needed a refrigerated trailer. There are several issues in which the trailer your shipment is delivered in can have the receiver refusing your product.

Reasonable Time to Reject

One important thing to know about produce shipment rejections is that there is a reasonable time for the receiver to reject the shipment. When shipping by truck, the receiver must not exceed eight hours to inspect and reject. When shipping by rail, the receiver must not exceed 24 hours to inspect and reject.

AS A SHIPPER, WHAT TO DO WHEN PRODUCE IS REFUSED

Many issues associated with rejected produce shipments can often be resolved quickly with extra communication and planning.

You’ll first need to figure out why the receiver rejected your produce shipment, so start with asking your receiver that. Ask for pictures showing any damage and a copy of the BOL. Next, ask for the report by the USDA inspector or another qualified individual, as it’s required for the receiver to have the shipment inspected, note any issues, and detail what the cause of damage was. Additionally, ask your carrier for a reefer unit download or a temperature recorder download so you can see if there were any temperature fluctuations during transit.

If you’re considering filing a cargo claim, you must know that cargo claims for produce will only be paid for proven physical damage.

Now, if a produce shipment is rejected and not unloaded, there are a couple of options for you to try to recoup the loss. You can reroute the shipment to a different facility that will accept it, donate the shipment, or have the carrier dispose of it. Regardless of which option you choose, you are responsible for handling where the shipment will go next.

What are any secondary markets the produce can go to if messed up? What’s the disposition? You’ll be the best resource for the area’s market. Be familiar with your shipping lanes and the secondary markets within your location to best salvage the produce if refused.

Secondary Facility

As long as your produce is still safe for consumption and solely rejected for the way it looks, you might be able to sell the shipment to a secondary facility. For example, a sauce maker or a french fry company might be willing to buy a shipment of tomatoes or potatoes that are still edible but visually unappealing.

Donation

It can be possible to reuse a rejected produce shipment through local donation, though there are still high standards for products if donated. Any food and beverage products donated must be safe enough to consume. Donations can be optimal as your produce can still be used, and you can receive tax credits for your donation.

Disposal

If your produce shipment is rejected due to a temperature violation or clear spoilage during transit, disposal may be your solution. When your produce is determined to be unsalvageable, it may be best to dispose of it. Although the other two options are better for the environment and your bottom line, it’s sometimes a necessary evil to dispose of the product. While recycling and reusing are ideal, they may not be workable due to compliance and safety standards. One of the benefits of disposal is that scheduling disposals are often quicker than scheduling to another facility.

Maintaining a Good Customer Relationship

Shipment rejections can stress even the best relationships. It’s best to keep in mind that you are in it for the long haul and produce shipment rejections that can happen even to the best of shippers due to its complexity.

It’s best to acknowledge the rejection, replace the product as soon as possible, and find the source of the issue to help reduce the chance of another produce rejection happening anytime soon. Take ownership of the problem and control of your shipment so you can manage your money from the salvage. Taking control over the disposition will help you maximize your return, reduce claimed damages, and reduce your risk of customer relationship loss.

While these are all great solutions for handling produce shipment rejections, it’s ideal to prevent them in the first place. For companies looking to focus on their bottom line, it’s important to know all necessary prevention measures for produce shipment rejections and plan for when they do happen.

PRODUCE SHIPMENT REJECTION PREVENTION

Paperwork and Communication

The first step to preventing produce shipment rejections is to have your paperwork and communication in order. Your agreement must be clear on the condition of the produce your buyer will receive. Being able to present your buyer with evidence that your produce is safe and of the quality you stated it’s in before transit will prevent most cases of rejection.

Communication with your buyer and your logistics team on how your produce is being handled before loading, during loading, and during transit must be done effectively and properly. This is especially crucial because of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Be sure to provide photos, diagrams, or any other examples of proper pallet configuration to your warehouse and trucking partners. This kind of communication will help them pack and load your freight correctly from the start.

Carrier Selection

Produce shipments, especially during produce season, often pay a lot. This means you’ll have a lot of carriers bidding to haul for you. Therefore, quality carrier selection and additional insurance requirements, like reefer breakdown, are crucial aspects to prevent rejected produce shipments.

Make sure you confirm with your motor carrier that they are both authorized and experienced to haul your produce.

Additionally, make sure they understand all your shipments requirements, including FSMA. For example, do they need washout receipts? Do they have a good quality truck, updated trailer, or a quality reefer? Do they have or need temperature-monitoring devices or other technology to ensure the temperature is controlled and the cold chain uninterrupted? Can they pull a reefer download if required?

By finding a quality carrier and building a strong relationship with them, you’ll gain a dependable carrier to use regularly. This can help you reduce any transportation-related issues that could later result in a shipment rejection.

Loading

Don’t Overstack

When it comes to produce season, the number one cause of claims that we see comes from over-stacking your boxes or bins of produce when loading them onto the trailer. An example of this would be triple or quadruple stacking your boxes when they need to be double-stacked. While this depends on each shipping location, not all may be aware that each box has a maximum capacity it can withstand and not damage your produce. You need to know the weight-bearing amount of your boxes so you can place no more than that. When you over-stack, it’s will increase the risk of your produce getting squished and damaged. Certain produce can be very fragile, like berries, tomatoes, asparagus, or bananas. They tend to bruise easily, so single-stacking boxes are even more ideal for them.

No Hot Loads

Industry experts say that as much as 32 percent of all cargo is loaded at the wrong temperature.

This is often due to poor loading practices, like loading from a hot field. When it comes to produce, loading from a hot field is a HUGE NO. This causes the driver to start traveling with your produce at the wrong temperature, which puts compliance and financial pressure on carriers, as the load is at a high risk of spoiling. Your produce should be safely brought down to its required transit temperature before loading to prevent any spoilage.

Have the Proper Equipment

While this may seem silly, it still needs to be said: If a motor carrier shows up with a dry van and your produce requires a refrigerated trailer, DO NOT LOAD. While losing some time or causing a bit of a delay is not ideal, it’s better to have the proper trailer needed to keep your risk of shipment rejection from spoilage or damage low. Additionally, make sure your carrier’s refrigerated temperature monitoring system has the proper temperature, date, and time set. If there is a rejection due to temperature variance and the date and time are wrong, you’ll take the blame due to current regulations.

When it comes to your motor carrier and loading, it’s also ideal to allow them to inspect and pulp your product before loading. They have the right to do so, and the opportunity can give your carrier the confidence to haul your product safely. It also helps build a strong and loyal relationship, while helping you gain more insight that your product is okay before it’s in transit.

Keep Clean of Debris

Another way to help prevent produce rejections is to have a shipping platform that can be cleaned without leaving any splinters or debris in vehicles. Food-grade plastic pallets are ideal for solving many hygiene issues while helping reduce product damage during transport. Unlike wooden pallets, they don’t splinter or leave behind debris, and their nonabsorbent surface can be easily cleaned and dried.

Transit and Delivery

As mentioned during loading, make sure you have a way to track temperatures throughout the shipment and be able to receive notifications in real time. By getting early warning signs of issues, temperature variations can be quickly detected and dealt with right away instead of learning about them later at delivery.

Additionally, make sure you have a qualified inspector on-site at delivery. This will help should the receiver decide to reject your produce shipment to determine if your product is salvageable for you to recoup costs.

Before transit, it’s best that you set up the potential for rework facilities to accept your produce should the receiver refuse it. Talk to nearby receiving facilities to establish accounts, processes, and pricing ahead of time. This way, if there has been some visual damage or slight shifting, it can quickly reroute to the other location and be reworked, being proactive rather than reactive. This is especially important when it comes to produce since time is of the essence.

HAVING HELP

Produce shipment rejections can be complex and confusing at times. This is where working with a third-party logistics company (3PL), like Trinity, can come in handy. We have Teams to help you with the prevention of rejections as well as when one does happen.

Carrier Compliance

Our Carrier Compliance Team is here to vet our carrier network and make sure they have what you need to get your shipment delivered safely. Not only do we have a rigorous vetting process, but depending on your shipment requirements, we’ll make checks for extra insurance needs like reefer breakdown and make sure they are FSMA compliant. 

Claims

No matter how prepared one can be, unexpected things can still happen. Shipments may get refused and so that’s why we have a Claims Team here ready to assist you. It can be a real lifesaver to have a Team of certified professionals to help take the stress out of the claims process. Should it be needed, our Claims Team will help you start the process, be there to track progress, and assist until a resolution is met between all involved parties.

DON’T GO THROUGH PRODUCE SEASON ALONE

With proper prevention, compliance, and planning, produce shipment rejections can become less of a thorn in your side during produce season. Even still, they can and will happen at times. Make sure you’re ready and have the support you need by working with an experienced provider such as Trinity.

You’ll have the advantage of working with and trusting our risk departments, who work hard to help mitigate any risk to your shipments. In addition, you can trust that each of our carrier relationships is properly vetted for things like reefer breakdown coverage. Should you need it, you’ll have a whole Claims Team ready to help you sort through any unexpected shipment issues.

Gain the support you need to navigate the complexity of produce season with less stress.

How does the cold chain process differ from your typical supply chain? The cold chain is a variation of your standard supply chain. It involves the movement of refrigerated or frozen products from temperatures of two degrees Celsius (35 degrees Fahrenheit) all the way down to negative 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit). The cold chain involves industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals.

WHAT IS THE COLD CHAIN PROCESS?

The cold chain process is a logistics management process for perishable products that need refrigerated temperatures to maintain quality and safety from end to end. It involves performing a chain of tasks to prepare, store, and transport products in the cold supply chain. 

Logistical planning and management protect the integrity of cold chain shipments. This involves using proper packaging, proper transportation equipment, carefully chosen transportation routes, perfect timing, and visibility throughout to ensure that what’s expected is what happens. The cold chain process is best done by using technology and data at every point of the process.

WHY IS THE COLD CHAIN IMPORTANT?

The cold chain ensures perishable products are safe, of high quality, or potency at the point of consumption or use. Failure to keep those products at correct temperatures results in degradation, discoloring, bruising, or microbial growth. When you have quality cold chain products, you’ll have satisfied customers, meaning greater demand, and the protection of public health. 

Additionally, cold chain providers contribute a great deal to the economy and workforce. According to GCCA, approximately $6.1 billion is generated by the refrigerated warehousing industry annually. Not to mention, the North American refrigerated warehousing industry employs more than 62,774 people annually on a full-time basis, with 92 percent being permanent employees versus contract or temporary.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN ELEMENTS IN THE COLD CHAIN?

Storage

The cold chain starts with the storage of the product at a refrigerated facility. If manufacturers of cold chain products don’t have storage equipment needed to keep their products regulated, they’ll have to outsource their cold chain operations to a partner who can provide the proper equipment. 

Common cold storage equipment and facilities include refrigerated containers, cold rooms, chillers, cold boxes, blast freezers, and vaccine carriers.

Packaging

Temperature-controlled products need correct packaging to maintain their quality. Proper packaging helps reduce the risk of product contamination and ensures energy-efficient storage along the cold chain. 

The most common refrigerants used in packaging are dry ice, gel packs, gel bricks, phase change material (PCM), and EPS panels (expanded polystyrene or Styrofoam).

Monitoring

Tracking certain information for specific cold chain products is a necessity. This includes temperatures and other environmental parameters, like humidity levels. Without monitoring, suboptimal conditions can happen and damage the quality of the product. 

Cold chain monitoring often refers to the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) or other sensor software. These monitoring systems can detect temperature problems, keep track of all cold chain products on one platform, and improve predictive maintenance through the integration of sensor data with supply chain management software, like a transportation management system (TMS). 

Delivery

Cold chain management also involves the delivery of shipments. Delivery is based upon the end-user consumers’ preferred methods for receiving cold deliveries. 

WHY IS AN EFFICIENT COLD CHAIN PROCESS IMPORTANT?

Unlike shipping non-perishable products such as furniture, interruptions in the cold chain can result in damage to the quality of the product, making it unusable. An efficient cold chain process uses monitoring and reduces the amount of handling from end to end. 

The cold chain industry has standardized temperature zones classified to maintain the quality of products. These classifications are: 

Banana

Bananas and other tropical fruits like oranges, pineapples, or even potatoes have a temperature range of 12 degrees to 14 degrees Celsius (53 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit). This helps control ripening during transport. 

Pharmaceutical

Most pharmaceutical products need temperatures between two and eight degrees Celsius (35 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit).

Chill

This classification is between two and four degrees Celsius (35 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit) for many other fruits, vegetables, and fresh meat.

Frozen

This temperature range is between minus 10 to minus 20 degrees Celsius (50 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit) for frozen meat, cakes, and bread.

Deep Frozen

Seafood, ice cream, and other frozen foods need colder temperatures at minus 25 to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 77 to minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ultra-Low

This is a new and growing temperature range often for pharmaceutical products that need temperatures reaching minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 158 degrees Fahrenheit), like certain vaccines. 

Shipping temperature-sensitive items? Check out our Temperature Shipping Guide for temperature suggestions.

WHAT ARE SOME INDUSTRIES THAT USE COLD CHAIN?

Food and Beverage

Controlled temperatures are needed for transporting food and beverage products such as milk, produce, or meat. Interruptions in the cold chain can lead to spoilage or bacteria or mold growth. As mentioned above, many fruits like bananas ripen during their shipment.

Pharmaceutical

Many pharmaceutical products need temperature control. This includes products like vaccines, medication, or biologicals, like blood or plasma. Spoilage of these products can mean a loss in efficacy and can become a public health hazard if not caught.

Chemical

Temperature control is critical when it comes to some hazardous chemicals. Specifically, ones that can be susceptible to reactions due to heat release. If heat escapes from a chemical good that requires it to remain at a certain temperature, it can cause a spark, flame, or explosion to occur, not only damaging the product but potentially harming others.

Oil and Gas

This sector uses explosion-proof refrigerated containers on oil rigs, oil tankers, and offshore locations.

Military

The U.S. military must control the temperature of its medical supplies, which often travel long, hard-to-reach areas. Because of this, the cold chain process can become more complicated when handling products for the military.

WORK WITH AN EXPERIENCED PROVIDER

Not all temperature-controlled products are the same. Each product is unique and requires specialized solutions throughout the cold chain. Many cold chain manufacturers are turning to third-party logistics companies (3PLs) to handle their complex challenges in the cold chain process. For your cold chain to be successful, you need to be sure to work with a provider who understands your industry, regulations, and product requirements.

Luckily, you don’t have to look very far to find one. Here at Trinity, we have more than 40 years of experience in specialized industries such as cold chain. 

Contact us today to find your customized logistics solution for your cold chain process.

Author: Christine Morris

Shipping produce can be a bit tricky. Produce is time-sensitive to make sure consumers at its freshest. Certain produce can be sensitive to pressure, like peaches, that bruise easily. Other produce requires certain temperatures to keep it at its freshest. It’s a juggling act to make sure your produce is at its highest quality when delivered to your customer.

When shipping produce, you need to consider temperature, shelf life, and transit times. Here are three tips to making the process as easy as possible.

Tip #1:

Give as much lead time as you can for orders.

Normally more time means better shipping capacity. Not every truck can haul fresh produce. Refrigerated trucks or reefers are ideal to transport produce because they can adjust and keep temperatures where they need to be for your product. Especially during produce season, the more lead time, the better chance of finding an available reefer at a decent shipping rate.

Tip #2:

Make sure the carrier or transportation partner you select is FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) compliant.

Passed in 2011 and implemented in 2017, this regulation focuses on maintaining food safety during transportation. Its goal is to prevent illnesses from contaminated food. If found in violation of FSMA, you can be subjected to large fines and even imprisonment.

Tip #3:

Have detention rules clearly laid out.

Communication is key in your part of shipping produce. In the case of a delay at the farm or pick-up location, drivers can be notified ahead of time, keeping everyone on the same page. This also helps build up your reputation as a shipper of choice, so more quality carriers and transportation partners want to work with you.

Shipping produce is one of Trinity’s specialties. With Burris Logistics as our parent company, we have the warehousing, handling, tracking, and shipping solutions to accommodate you. Shipping produce can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. We can help you simplify it.

Check out our Temperature Shipping Guide.

It is undeniable that consumers are seeking healthier, protein-dense foods, which is leading them to purchase more seafood. With trending diets, including Keto’s low carb, high fat fare, seafood is a popular choice for your consumers to get their protein intake. Seafood has many nutritional benefits to offer consumers. It’s high in heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins. It is also low in saturated fat and an ideal source of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. However, seafood is considered an easily perishable commodity, due to its ease of arriving bruised, thawed or spoiled. To keep your customers and consumers happy, you have a high concern for shipping seafood safely. How can you make sure you are doing all you can to get your seafood to where it needs to go, claim-free?

Your Part: The Packaging

Part 1 in shipping seafood safely is in the packaging. Seafood is often fresh or frozen and needs to stay at certain temperatures to keep it from spoiling. It is important to know the time to ship the products and package them to keep the required temperature. Having the correct packaging can provide enough protection and refrigeration to maintain the correct temperature environment.

Styrofoam coolers, placed inside a corrugated cardboard box are best for keeping temperatures maintained. Including insulated liners can help catch any water runoff from melting ice packs before the water can damage the outer packaging. Ice, dry ice, or gel packs are often your best options for keeping the product cool. However, keep in mind, there are certain regulations in place for shipping with dry ice. Also, if you decide to go with dry ice, do not place in an airtight container. Dry ice will release carbon dioxide, causing pressure to build up and your package to explode. While coolants help keep your product cold when shipping, be careful of the proximity as they can also damage your product if they come into contact.

Our Part: Arranging Transport

It’s important that the carrier hauling your seafood is knowledgeable in the temperature requirements and handling of your product. With our huge network of carriers and relationships, we can help you select a carrier with experience, transporting your seafood safely and timely.

Sometimes with seafood, a full truckload is not always needed. Refrigerated LTL (less-than-truckload), also known as reefer LTL, is an option available to you through Trinity Logistics. Refrigerated LTL is great for shipping smaller quantities of refrigerated products, but can often be harder to arrange, and generally more expensive alone. Thankfully, when partnering with Trinity Logistics and our carrier relationships, you can get your best rate shipping with refrigerated LTL.

Another reason to choose your carriers wisely when shipping seafood is that not all insurance covers it. Sometimes it can be excluded. It can be a lot of work to find a qualified carrier at a good rate, and then find out their insurance doesn’t cover your product. Even worse, finding out after the fact when there is a claim. Trinity can help. We make sure your seafood is covered by using our relationship carriers and contacting their insurance to ensure it is covered. And if it’s not? We cover it by purchasing additional insurance for it. You can feel relieved knowing that no matter what happens, your product is covered.

If you’re looking for an experienced partner to help you ship your seafood product, consider Trinity Logistics. We would love to help you get your fish to your customer’s dinner plates. Connect with us today.

AUTHOR: Christine Griffith