Spring is always an exciting time because it is a reminder that summer is right around the corner, which is often filled with barbeques, grilling, swimming and more fun.
While the summer is great for having fun, the heat can be a concern in the logistics industry when you haul products that need to be regulated by temperatures. Luckily there is a simple strategy that is effective; so simple a caveman could probably do it. Here it is: Pre-cool your reefer!
Simple, right? This is nothing surprisingly new- we pre-heat our cars during the winter because we do not want to be cold and we pre-cool beer because nobody likes warm beer.
Still do not want to take the time to pre-cool your reefer because you don’t think it’s worth the time? That’s fine, but here are some reasons you should reconsider.
Pre-cooling is used as a System Check
If you are a driver or have been around in the logistics and storage industry, then you are most likely familiar with Murphy’s Law. This law has been characterized as anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Every person has been there. Something works one minute and the next, for no apparent reason, it does not work. Nothing is worse than showing up somewhere thinking something works only to find out it does not.
It places you in a bad situation and causes a great deal of awkwardness. It is like forgetting the punchline of a joke or waving at someone who is not waving at you….awkward.
Pre-cooling allows you to make sure your carrier unit is working and functioning properly. It is possible for units to run and not cool your trailer. Pre-cooling ensures your entire system is in check before you receive products.
Pre-cooling Ensure Product Integrity
Product integrity is key. Damaged goods end up costing tons of wasted time and money for the supplier, the customer, and the shipper.
Products that are sensitive to fluctuation in temperature or products that experience shock can become damaged.
Pre-cooling your reefer ensures that the trailer will be cool and set to the appropriate temperature upon receiving the freight.
Pre-cooling Chills the Floors and Walls
If you were anything like us in high school, physics was a great time to catch up on some sleep. If talking about thermodynamics did not bore you, we do not know what would! You are probably the same person that loves to watch paint dry.
Despite the lack of excitement and technicalities of thermodynamics there is one simple law to remember- heat can be transferred from hot objects to cold objects.
Even though your trailer temperature reads the appropriate level for your freight that does not mean it is a good idea to put your freight in there. If the temperature of the floor and walls are hotter than the air, then it can warm your products and cause damage.
Pre-cooling ensures that your entire trailer will be cool to receive goods.
At McCook Cold Storage we require all trailers to be pre-cooled for these three reasons. Product integrity is the goal of pre-cooling. We recommend most trailers to pre-cool for at least a half an hour before arriving at our facility. During extreme heat (triple digits) an hour is recommended prior to arrival.
Drivers need to contact their shipper or dispatcher to receive the appropriate shipping temperature so they can give themselves the time to pre-cool before picking up a load.
Do not get left with damaged goods like sticky hot dog buns. That will end up ruining the barbequing plans of a lot of people this summer! Give us a call to find out how we can help you.