Preventing lost loads with the Coretex Reefer Solution

For carriers transporting refrigerated food and beverages, delivering rejected or lost loads can be devastating if it happens. Not only is it extremely expensive, more importantly it can be very damaging to a company’s reputation, impacting future business.  

If a load drops below its required temperature, it can become contaminated, food becomes spoiled and FSMA regulations breached. All these things can lead to a load being rejected, and the dreaded costs that come with it.  

These can come in many forms. Firstly, the carrier will have to compensate the shipper for the lost load. This will either come directly out of the carrier’s pocket, or it will come from an insurance payment. If it comes from an insurance payment the carrier will have to pay increased insurance premiums for the years to come, again raising costs. The rejected load also needs to be disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner, subject to regulations, the expense of which again comes out of the carrier's bottom line. These expenses quickly add up, and that’s aside from the reputation damage and impact on future business. 

To stop lost loads from happening, understanding why they happen is important. Some common causes include –  
 

Faulty equipment 

Every carrier's worst nightmare. If a reefer unit completely shuts down, often there won’t be much that you can do to save a load in time. Having both reefer units and telematics that are built to last as well as a streamlined maintenance program are crucial here. Carriers that are travelling interstate, on long journeys or operating within more extreme climates should be aware of temperature changes that their fleets may be experiencing and how this will affect the performance of their reefer telematics. The Coretex Reefer Solution uses hardware made to keep performing in temperatures of -40 – 70° C meaning that its delivering the data you need to always have proof your kept your loads compliant, as well as always receiving faults or alerts in real time so that it’s not too late to do something about it.  
 

Hot loads 

Loading cargo into a trailer at the wrong temperature is the most common cause of lost loads. Often food will be stored on an uncooled loading dock starts to raise in temperature. When it is loaded into a trailer and on the road for delivery, drivers can be unaware that their load is at the wrong temperature. Advanced reefer temperature monitoring systems can quickly detect that there is a problem and send alerts to the office and the driver so that action can be taken to solve the issue. 
 

Human error  

Some reefer units can have hundreds of fault codes that are difficult for a driver to understand or know what each means. This can be a real problem, especially in the worst case of a reefer unit shutdown. The Coretex Reefer Solution simplifies this by sending custom, prioritized alerts that can be sent to you via SMS or email so that you know when action is required, always keeping you compliant and eliminating lost loads. 
 

The Coretex Reefer Solution uses modern telematics and sensors to provide you with high-definition data to put an end to lost loads.  To find out how it can help your organization, get in touch with our team today.