Transporting food items can be challenging thanks to a whole host of standards and regulations. And while these standards are designed to keep consumers safe and healthy, they are incredibly detailed and technical — making them hard to understand.
Here’s what you need to know about these standards so that you can maintain them when transporting food items:
What Are Common Standards We Should Know?
Unfortunately, there isn’t one single entity that manages food safety transportation standards. Instead, they are established through a number of different laws and managed through a number of different agencies.
Here’s a crash course on some of the common food safety transportation standards you need to know about:
FSMA
The FSMA or the Food Safety Modernization Act established food safety laws in the United States designed to prevent food supply contamination. Contamination of the food supply is a bigger issue than many realize.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 48 million people in the United States get sick each year from foodborne diseases — that’s one in six!
Out of those 48 million, 128,000 will be hospitalized as a result of foodborne disease, and 3,000 will die. The FSMA was signed into law on January 4th, 2011, to tackle these startling numbers and, ultimately, save lives.
The FSMA covers a variety of different areas related to food and agriculture, including:
- Agricultural water
- Good manufacturing practices, hazard analyses, and risk-based preventive controls for both human food and animal food
- Food traceability
- Foreign supplier verification programs
- Laboratory accreditation
- Mitigation strategies to protect food against intentional adulteration
- Sanitary transportation of human and animal food
- Standards for the growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce for human consumption
- Voluntary qualified importer program
STHAF
Within the FSMA, a specific section covers the sanitary transportation of human and animal food, known as the STHAF.
Specifically, this section covers vehicles and transportation equipment, transportation operations, training, and records.
Here’s what you need to know about each of these different areas:
- Vehicles and transportation equipment: The FSMA stipulates that “the design and maintenance of vehicles and transportation equipment must not cause the food that it transports to become unsafe.” This means that the vehicles and equipment used to transport food must be able to be thoroughly cleaned in between loads to prevent cross-contamination. This also means that the vehicles and equipment used to transport food must be able to maintain the temperature necessary for the safe transport of food.
- Transportation operations: The FSMA stipulates that measures must be taken during transportation to ensure food safety. For example, adequate temperatures must be maintained to prevent spoilage. Contamination must be prevented by separating ready-to-eat food from raw food and non-food items in the same load or previous loads. Finally, food must be protected from cross-contact to prevent the unintentional incorporation of a food allergen into food items that are supposed to be allergen-free.
- Training: The FSMA stipulates that carrier personnel must be adequately trained in the outlined sanitation transportation practices. This training must be documented, and the documentation must be maintained throughout the transportation process.
- Records: The FSMA stipulates that records of written procedures, agreements, and training must be maintained at all times.
These standards apply to shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers who transport food in the United States by motor or rail vehicle.
These standards do not apply to exporters who ship food through the United States by motor or rail vehicle from Canada or Mexico so long as the food does not enter U.S. distribution.
FMCSA
The FMCSA is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Established in 2000, the goal of this administration is to improve the safety of commercial motor vehicles by reducing crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
The FMCSA works to achieve these goals through partnerships, education, enforcement, research, technology, and regulation. The FMCSA pilots a variety of different programs to cover all of these bases, including:
- Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program: The CDL Program establishes national standards for testing, licensing, and disqualifying commercial drivers and works to ensure that only the most qualified and safe drivers are eligible to receive and retain a CDL.
- New Entrant Program: The New Entrant Program requires new commercial motor vehicle operators to register with the administration prior to beginning interstate work. These new operators are then subject to strict safety audits and monitoring for the first 18 months.
- Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program: The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program provides financial assistance to states from the federal government with the goal of reducing the number and severity of accidents. This money is used to bolster commercial motor vehicle enforcement efforts at the state level.
- Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse: The FMCSA works to maintain records of all drug and alcohol program violations in a central database. Employers can quickly and easily check to see if current and prospective employees have been charged with any drug- or alcohol-related violations that would prohibit them from operating a commercial motor vehicle.
- Hazardous Materials Program: The Hazardous Materials Program works to ensure compliance with strict hazardous materials regulations by providing industry information, training, and education on hazardous materials transportation safety, regulations, and emergency response.
- Military Driver Program: The Military Driver Program makes it easier, quicker, and more affordable for veterans with military driving experience to transition to a civilian career by obtaining a CDL.
- Compliance, Safety, and Accountability: The Compliance, Safety, and Accountability Program work to enforce compliance with commercial motor vehicle safety regulations through measures such as the Safety Measurement System, or SMS, that focuses resources on the highest risk carriers based on previous performance.
The FMCSA works to regulate over 561,000 active motor carriers, 5 million commercial drivers, and 12,000 passenger carriers through all of these different programs.
DOT
The DOT is the Department of Transportation. It oversees the FMCSA and several other administrations, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and the Maritime Administration (MARAD).
The mission of the DOT is to “ensure that America has the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world” to boost economic productivity and global competitiveness and enhance the quality of life in communities both rural and urban.
The DOT is one of 15 executive departments and was established by an act of Congress on October 15th, 1966 — beginning operation the following year on April 1st, 1967.
The Secretary of Transportation runs the DOT. Some of the DOT’s current policy initiatives include autonomous and connected vehicles, human trafficking prevention, and a safety data initiative.
HOS
HOS stands for “hours of service” and refers to the rules set by the FMCSA. Specifically, these rules cover the amount of time that commercial motor vehicle drivers are allowed to be on duty.
These rules cover both driving time and rest periods to ensure that drivers stay awake and alert so that they can drive safely.
HOS rules apply to drivers of commercial motor vehicles that are used as part of a business, are involved in interstate commerce, and weigh over 10,001 pounds. HOS rules change on a regular basis, and the most recent version was established on June 1st, 2020.
Here are some of the most important HOS rules that you need to know about:
- Drivers can only drive for a maximum of 11 hours after spending ten consecutive hours off-duty.
- Drivers are required to take a 30-minute break after driving for eight straight hours if they didn’t take at least a 30-minute break during that time.
- Drivers are not permitted to drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty after spending ten consecutive hours off-duty.
- Drivers cannot drive after 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days, but this clock can be restarted by spending at least 34 consecutive hours off-duty.
- Drivers must spend at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper berth when they are in the 10-hour off-duty period.
- Driver sleeper berth time must add up to 10 off-duty hours, but per the rule above, only seven of those must be spent in the sleeper berth.
- Short-haul drivers that operate within a 150 air-mile radius are not required to take 30-minute breaks after eight cumulative hours of driving.
- Drivers encountering “unforeseeable adverse driving conditions” including snow, sleet, fog, or ice that affect the route can extend duty day and driving time by up to two hours.
ELD
ELD stands for “electronic logging device” and refers to a device that’s used to record drivers’ hours and ensure compliance with the HOS rules discussed above. In 2016, the ELD mandate became law and required commercial motor vehicle drivers to use compliant devices to record their hours. This mandate changed how many drivers logged their hours, as many preferred to use paper logbooks instead of electronic devices that can be hard for some drivers to use.
These devices must connect to the vehicle’s engine to record the vehicle’s motion, stopping, and stalling time. It must also include different duty statuses so that the driver can differentiate between driving time, non-driving time, and break times. Finally, the device must gather the data it collects and be able to transmit it to law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the actual ELD device itself, drivers are also required to maintain the ELD device user manual, a malfunction guide, a guide for transferring HOS data, and backup paper log sheets in the event of an unexpected issue with the ELD.
How Can We Ensure That We Adhere to These Standards?
With all of these different standards to follow, compliance can seem like an impossible task. So how can you make sure that you’re complying with each and every standard and that nothing slips through the cracks?
Clear Communication
First of all, you need to practice clear communication. Drivers need to maintain constant communication with service providers. At the same time, communication can be difficult while on the road — which is why service providers like RPM developed a dedicated app to make things easier for our carriers.
The RPM Drive app offers one-to-one support — connecting you with a dedicated point of contact that’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.
Your dedicated point of contact understands your needs and stands ready to help you with anything from unexpected weather delays to equipment issues while on the road.
Compliant Processes and Procedures
Second of all, you need to remain compliant with all the processes and procedures covered above. If you’re not yet a driver, then you need to start by obtaining a CDL. From there, you need to register with the FMCSA. If you are going to be transporting food items, you need to receive the required training.
Before you hit the road, you need to familiarize yourself with the HOS rules and acquire an ELD to use in your vehicle. Following all of these processes and procedures sets you up for a successful career as a commercial driver.
Automated Data Systems
Using automated data systems makes compliance easier. These systems take much of the burden off your shoulders and substitute manual processes with automated ones. An ELD is a prime example of such a system! However, you can go a step further with an innovative service provider like RPM.
The RPM Drive app doesn’t just provide support, but also offers digital capture of all documents. Furthermore, it offers real-time capture for damage claims.
At the end of the day, it can help you book loads quickly and get paid even quicker — just 72 hours after completing the load.
Conclusion
Even though understanding and complying with the litany of food safety transportation standards can be challenging, it’s possible with the right amount of research, training, and support.
Here at RPM, we are here to help you with every step in the process — providing helpful guides to aid in your research, maintaining training certifications, and providing support to make compliance easy.
Sources:
FSMA Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food | FDA
Hours of Service (HOS) | FMCSA
What Is the ELD Mandate? 7 Things to Know About the Trucking Law | Business Insider
