Considering the amount of food wasted during transit in South Africa every year, finding ways to improve the efficiency of refrigerated food trucks is crucial. Your food logistics business doesn’t have to risk haemorrhaging money every time you send out a truck. We’ve got tips and solutions that can help you preserve your products, and your profits too.
The proper method for transporting food is according to the R638 regulation, which includes guidelines on packaging, spacing, and refrigeration of different food categories. Whether the food you’re transporting is perishable, fluid, or frozen, you must consult these guidelines to properly pack, move, and unload your food products.
Some interesting facts about food transport in SA are:
A fleet system is important for food transportation companies because it can save them a huge percentage of their profits. It does this by identifying and eliminating waste in many different ways. Not only does FMS from Cartrack protect your assets, but it can also save you on fuel, improve the efficiency (and safety) of your drivers, and ensure your cargo doesn’t get ruined, damaged, or misappropriated.
While the food is in transit on the road, the driver and the fleet manager are both responsible. This is why vehicle cameras and IoT devices like door & fuel sensors are such important components in short-haul trucking, because they allow managers to act in real-time when problems arise.
Yes, because R638 dictates various food safety regulations, drivers must be aware of what these are. Since many drivers double up as loaders and packers, it’s important that they handle food according to the standards set out by the SA government's food safety mandate.
The Cartrack system helps with food transportation by optimising routes for drivers (so they get to their destinations quicker), and by protecting food cargoes. We do this through:
High risk food categories in food transportation include perishable items like fish, meat & poultry, and dairy. Others that are relatively lower risk, but still mildly risky, are frozen goods, fresh produce, and items that can melt before they reach their destination (which would affect the quality of the product, like ice cream).
The 5 Cs of food safety were coined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and include “Clean” (food cleanliness), “Cook” (certain foods must not be consumed raw), “Chill” (some foods must be stored at a particular low temperature), “Cross-contamination” (certain foods must not come into contact with others), and “Check” (food should be checked for spoilage and should be sealed correctly).
A transportation management system offers various technologies based on the needs of your company; like route optimisation, fuel management, and real-time tracking. This helps managers keep track of their food transportation trucks & drivers, and can even help with driver coaching and food monitoring within the cargo unit.
Cartrack’s monitoring of food has more to do with temperature control, visuals of the cargo, and helping you regulate how often the cargo door is opened. So in a way, YES, Cartrack can help you monitor all types of food. We’ve designed our technology to accommodate YOUR specific food category, and we’re happy to include the technology you need and exclude what you don’t need (to save you on costs).
You protect your food cargo from theft by adding a non-powered asset tracker to your cargo unit and even to your containers if possible. Non-powered asset trackers are perfect for tracking things other than vehicles, and Cartrack has designed three to make sure you find the one that’s perfect for YOUR cargo.
