The demand for safe shipment for perishable goods is growing drastically and transporters have to be up-to-date in their systems of transportation to handle produce shipping as well as meat shipping. Even tropical fruits require sophisticated containers to control the atmosphere while being moved to prolong their ripening. Temperature controlled transportation helps in the shipment of poultry, vegetables and all kinds of fresh flowers from the growing regions to distant markets that may involve even cross border shipping.
When handling produce shipping, transporters have to think in terms of refrigerated trucking or reefer trucking. For this purpose, a reefer truck is used. It is generally a one-tonner van that has a built-in refrigerated unit either on its frame or accompanied on a trailer. The unit is refrigerated mostly by generators that are powered by diesel or liquid carbon dioxide. You will come across reefer trucks in the shape of plain ice cream trucks or they could be large containers moving perishable goods across the country and cross border too.
Temperature controlled transportation calls for expertise and quality service from the shipping companies. Transportation companies that handle certified refrigerated trucking equipment are the ones to be relied upon by the exporters to protect their shipment from extreme cold or heat. Reefer trucking plays a vital role in the world of produce shipping. This mode of transport is essential when the goods are being moved by road.
Refrigerated trucking is done through a cooled box that is meant to carry the goods of a perishable nature at specified temperatures. These boxes are carrying cooling mechanisms to preserve the quality of the produce or meat being shipped. Reefer containers will help in controlling the over-ripening of perishables during transit. The major refrigerated produce shipping includes meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and milk products. Shipping meat and fruits is done by the help of dedicated reefer boxes.
Refrigerated trucking is also done by means of vans that are ice-cooled and equipped with diverse mechanical refrigeration techniques. Carbon dioxide is also used either in the shape of dry ice or in liquid form to act as a cooling agent. Sometimes, liquid nitrogen is used as a cooling agent. Liquefied nitrogen is released when the temperature rises inside the reefer truck above a level that is specified. The reefer van carries over one thousand kilograms of coolant to maintain a temperature of minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The body of the reefer truck is made of aluminum that gives higher durability and offers better resistance to corrosion. It is also cost effective.
Produce shipping is a large industry on a worldwide basis and it is growing steadily. The demand for fresh produce across borders is not going to dwindle. In majority of cases where shipping meat is concerned, livestock is transported to the abattoirs and their packaging facilities. The meat is then shipped vide reefer trucking to the wholesale distributors for packaging. This becomes an intermodal freight transport scenario for cargo to be shipped with temperature controlled transportation.