Temperature-controlled transport: the best guarantor of your products

[The quality, properties and good state of conservation of the vast majority of the products we eat or those that come from the pharmaceutical or chemical industry depend on the transport of goods and, more specifically, on temperature-controlled transport.
This is the only guarantee that the products will maintain their temperature during the entire supply process, from the moment they leave the warehouse until they reach their destination or point of sale, without breaking a single link in the cold chain.
In this way, the multiplication of microorganisms that can deteriorate the merchandise is avoided, thus maintaining its safety and all its properties.
Both for the collection process and for delivery at destination, vehicles are needed that adjust to the temperature range required by each product.
These are the so-called ATP vehicles (International Agreement on the Carriage of Perishable Goods), which are always accompanied by refrigerated equipment in accordance with the space in the vehicle’s body.
The origin of this type of transport dates back to 1938, when the first mechanical transport refrigeration unit appeared on the market.
A portable cooling device that used the vehicle’s engine to obtain energy.
It was a revolution for the transport of perishable goods and marked the beginning of the end of a period in which the use of ice and salt was the only method of getting goods to their destination in the best possible way.
Since that time, refrigerated transport has grown exponentially and has extended not only to perishable foods but also to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
In 75 years, it has advanced at a dizzying pace, adding innovations in diesel vehicles and start-stop temperature controls.  

Characteristics of temperature-controlled transport

  The first and fundamental characteristic of this type of transport is that it must respect the cold chain at all times.
This is a particularly difficult factor in the interchange of operations, such as loading and handling of goods from the company to the truck or from the truck to the destination warehouse.
A drop or rise in temperature of just one or two degrees can be harmful and must therefore be avoided at all times.
These vehicles must be able to load large quantities of products while respecting the temperature conditions and complying with all national and international legal regulations for the transport of goods.
In each transport, the vehicle must respect the temperature range required for each food product and avoid exceeding or lowering this temperature.
The trucks must have a refrigeration system that produces the necessary cold to maintain the temperature of the box between 12 degrees and minus 20 degrees depending on the food (for example, milk should be at about 6 degrees, white meat at about 4 degrees and deep-frozen at minus 19 degrees) and the type of vehicle.
In addition, they must also have insulating walls that must be certified in successive revisions (generally every 6 years) to comply with ATP standards.
It is essential that the product is well packaged and separated and that a specific container is used depending on the use.
Packaging is key to prevent food from moving and being damaged.
Therefore, the vehicle must have fastening elements such as straps, webbing and cushioning elements such as plastic, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes or bubble wrap.
In the case of fruits and vegetables, which easily oxidize and expire, they should be arranged in such a way that they are ventilated, without being completely covered and with impermeable packaging.
Another guarantee that products reach their destination intact is a reinforcement system based on double labeling.
This avoids problems in temperature flow control, since the person who will handle the goods will always know the temperature range in which he/she must work.
Temperature-controlled transport should be carried out as quickly as possible to avoid temperature changes.
Vehicles should be pre-cooled before loading begins, to a temperature equal to or slightly higher than the dew temperature of the air in the loading area, so that no condensation is generated and the interior of the vehicle reaches a temperature suitable for the type of product to be transported.
To verify this optimum temperature, vehicles incorporate a temperature recorder or device in the highest temperature area of the storage cubicle.
Finally, vehicle doors should never be opened until the moment of loading or unloading, to ensure that delivery is carried out without modifying the properties and quality of the product.  

Types of temperature-controlled vehicles

  Not all vehicles are suitable for the transport of perishable products.
Therefore, if we want to guarantee the good preservation of the goods, we must choose one of these four types, depending on the needs of what we are going to transport:

• Isothermal vehicle. It has a passenger compartment with insulated walls, doors, ceiling and floor, which considerably reduces heat exchange between the interior and exterior.
• Refrigerated vehicle. It is an isothermal vehicle that allows to lower the temperature inside the passenger compartment and to maintain it for an average outside temperature of between 30 and -20 degrees Celsius.
• Refrigerated vehicle. This type of isothermal vehicle is equipped with a cold production device, which reduces the interior temperature and keeps it within the range of 12 to -20 degrees Celsius.
• Heating vehicle. In this case, it has a device that generates heat and allows to increase the interior temperature, keeping it for approximately 12 hours at a constant temperature and never below 12 degrees.

  One of our most demanded services by our customers is refrigerated transport.
We have a fleet specialized in refrigerated transport, which is active and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Temperature-controlled transport is a service with ad hoc logistics, that is, a transport tailored to each customer’s needs, complying with the established time. Asmen’s refrigerated transport fleet covers the entire national territory, ensuring that the cold chain is not broken[:].