Keep cool and carry on with our excellent list of eight maintenance tips and tricks to help you care for your refrigerated truck. Whether you are hiring your refrigerated truck or you have bought your own, they are a significant financial commitment. Keeping your truck clean and tidy can increase the efficiency of your trucking journeys while keeping your stock in the best possible condition. Here are our top tips:
1. Organise Storage
Create a system that will allow you to store your items in a way that is organised and safe. Make sure that you can access stock when needed and everything is easy to find. This reduces damaged products and also increases efficiency when unloading.
2. Optimise Stock
When transporting products in a refrigerated truck it is important to monitor the amount of stock. Overfilling can cause your cooling system to work harder than it needs to because the air can’t disperse evenly throughout the unit. Under stocking can also affect the temperature and the efficiency of the airflow.
3. Close the Door
Although it seems obvious, keeping a consistent temperature in the refrigerated vehicle is essential to maintaining the quality of the products. If the temperatures reach the danger zone it can put products at risk of spoiling and becoming a health hazard. Keeping the doors closed as much as possible is a simple way to keep your stock safe.
4. Know your Stock
Depending on what you are transporting, bacteria can have hazardous effects on your stock. Meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables, egg products, and dairy are all affected differently by changes in temperature and have different food safety requirements. Make sure you are in the know of all of the basic safety requirements and aware of what you are moving so that you can ensure food safety standards at all times.
5. Keep it Clean
Keeping all areas of the refrigerated truck clean is important to maintaining the standard of your refrigerated vehicle as well as the safety and the quality of your stock. If you notice that something has spilled, make sure you clean it up as soon as possible to avoid slips and falls when moving stock. You can easily clean surfaces with a cloth, and a mix of warm water and mild detergent.
6. Clean the Floor
If you notice wet areas in your vehicle from spills or cleaning make sure you dry them to avoid safety hazards. Wet surfaces can cause a slippery floor, and while loading and unloading products this can cause injury and possibly damage stock. It can also cause ice to build up which is both a hygiene and a tripping issue.
7. Discard Spoiled Products
Check perishables regularly after stops to make sure that the temperature hasn’t dropped, and caused them to spoil. Things like uncharacteristic odour, change of colour, or a sticky or slimy consistency can be indicators of bacteria contamination. If you notice any spoiled products make sure to discard them immediately.
8. Routine Inspections
Conducting routine inspections before, during, and after each trip is an easy way to stay on top of organisation and safety needs. This will increase the efficiency of your trips, maintain product quality, and decrease safety hazards.
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If you have any questions about transporting your goods in the safest and most effective way possible, don’t hesitate to contact us. Want more advice on refrigerated truck safety? Check out similar articles here.
