As the days get colder and the winter season approaches, it becomes increasingly necessary for shippers to take precautionary steps to protect their freight from frost. Not only can icy roadways threaten your cargo's safety, but cold temperatures can also cause damage to certain goods and most liquids.
The upper Midwest, Canada, the Northeast, and the Rocky Mountains all have a high likelihood of freezing-or-below temperatures in winter. Many U.S. states have extremely cold weather from October through March.
Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont, Maine, Montana, and Wyoming have the lowest average winter temperatures.
How Do You Protect Your Freight From Freezing?
Although freezing temperatures can contribute to the likelihood of cargo damages, you can take some precautions to ward off the effects of winter weather and protect your shipments. Temperature-controlled vehicles, protective labeling, and cargo blankets are just some of the many steps you can take to protect your freight.
Understand Your Freight Needs
Determining your shipping needs is the first step in protecting your cargo from the cold. Liquids and liquid-based products expand when frozen, causing higher pressure levels. Glass, aluminum, and over-filled containers are more likely to burst in cold temperatures.
Pharmaceuticals, perishable dry goods, cosmetics, and sanitizers are some of the many cargo items requiring a temperature-controlled shipping environment. Knowing what items you are shipping and determining if they will be harmed or damaged by cold temperatures will help you take proper precautions to protect the integrity of your cargo.
Add Protect From Freeze on Your Bill of Lading (BOL)
The Bill of Lading (BOL) outlines existing terms for every shipment, including how shipments are handled and any protective measures the carrier will take.
When shipping temperature-sensitive cargo, you can specify on your BOL that you would like to add Protect From Freeze services to your shipment.
Doing so will ensure that protective precautionary measures are taken to shield your freight from cold temperatures.
What Is Protect From Freeze?
Protection: Protect From Freeze services offer extra protection for your shipment and are customized to protect the specific items you may be transporting. Heated cargo areas, warming blankets, and thermal storage are some of the many protective measures your carrier can implement to keep your freight safe from the cold.
Temperature surveillance: Vendors will monitor the outside temperature and adjust the temperature at which the shipment is kept with Protect From Freeze services.
Navigation: With a Protect From Freeze specification on your BOL, the carrier will opt for a route that will consider your freight’s temperature needs. Your carrier will forecast the weather, evaluate various route options and select the route with the lowest likelihood of freezing temperatures.
Transit speed: It is easier to maintain a controlled temperature in the trailer if the transportation period is shorter. With Protect From Freeze, shipments are expedited and sometimes utilize multi-driver transit to shorten and simplify the transportation period.
How to Label Protect From Freeze
Specifying that you need Protect From Freeze transit services in the BOL will help to ensure that proper precautions are taken to protect your shipment from cold temperatures.
In addition, labeling each package that is temperature-sensitive with a “Do Not Freeze” label will add extra insurance so that your shipments will maintain their integrity and remain protected from the effects of winter weather.
Use Temperature Controlled Transport Vehicles
Temperature-controlled and refrigerated or “reefer” vehicles protect by keeping cargo at a controlled temperature, preventing vulnerable items from freezing. Reefer cargo trucks typically feature a refrigerated unit, a scaled thermostat, fans, sealed doors, extra insulation, and an air delivery channel.
Air-moisture technology is also implemented to maintain humidity levels in the truck, which is beneficial for dry, cold, winter weather. To ship specialized cargo safely, you can use additional amenities such as air circulation, dry ice, ice packs, insulated packaging, and more.
Temperature-controlled vehicles are the best option when shipping products such as meat, eggs, dairy, cosmetics, floral arrangements, candles, pharmaceuticals, and produce. It is a good idea to discuss precautions with your third-party logistics partner before the transportation process begins.
Use Tech to Monitor Your Trailer Temperatures
Temperature-monitoring technology allows shippers to monitor the temperature both inside the truck’s trailer and outside the vehicle. Monitoring the current interior and exterior temperatures helps to ensure that cargo avoids freezing from the effects of winter weather.
You can implement a large variety of temperature monitoring devices to maintain appropriate temperatures, some of which can be monitored via smartphone, GPS, computer, or tablet. The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act requires third-party logistics partners, carriers, and shippers to adhere to food shipping regulations.
Utilizing temperature-monitoring devices helps to uphold these FDA guidelines.
Use Pallet Covers and Cargo Blankets
Cargo blankets and pallet covers each add extra insulation to protect freight from the cold. Both cargo blankets and pallet covers are cost-effective temperature-regulation options.
Cargo Blankets
Cargo blankets, or thermal shipping blankets, are typically made of polyester mesh and cotton and create an insulated barrier to shield from cold, heat, and potential environmental hazards.
Cargo blankets can also provide insurance to protect items from breaking or damaging during transit. Cargo blankets can be customized to the necessary size and placed over large portions of freight to create a protective barrier.
Pallet covers
Insulated pallet covers help to shield cargo from freezing, humidity, hot and cold temperatures, UV light, and harsh handling. They can also protect items from dirt, odor, dust, and debris.
Pallet covers are typically made of plastic and are placed overtop individual pallets, making them helpful when different pallets have varying temperature protection needs.
Add Idle Days to Your Logistics Schedule
Shipping cargo over the weekend or during a national holiday can result in periods when freight is cross-docked and not actively in transit. Ide days during transportation can potentially expose items to cold and winter weather.
To best protect your shipment, discussing potential idle days with your shipping logistics partner is recommended before making transit arrangements.
Doing so will help you clear of having idle days during transit, avoid excess exposure to cold temperatures, and allow you to arrange expedited shipping if necessary.
What To Do Next?
Choosing a logistics service provider that will prioritize protecting your shipments is crucial in ensuring the transportation process goes smoothly — particularly during cold winter.
RPM leverages our unique carrier network to provide freight, vehicle, and bulk shipping services for various specialized, temperature-sensitive items. If you want to keep your freight safe in the winter, check out our website and try RPM.
Sources:
America’s Top 5 Coldest States | Fox News
An Introduction to Temperature-Controlled Shipping | First Call Logistics
Utilizing Temperature Monitoring Devices in Cold Chain Food Logistics | Zipline Logistics
