Whether it is in the heat of summer, or in a bitter winter storm, a produce hauler’s main concern for a load of fresh produce is maintaining the best possible temperature range, according to Rich Macleod of TransFresh Corp., Salinas, CA.
However, he notes the cold winter months can be more difficult in some respects for items ranging from tropical fruits to Mexican tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and bananas. The challenge comes from keeping such products in a very tight temperature range, which reduces your options.
As an example, Macleod points to hauling tomatoes. A driver normally wants the product tranported in the 50 to 55-degree F. temperature range.
If those tomatoes are being loaded against the trailer sidewalls and the refrigeration unit is set at 50 degrees F., there may be some “hot spots” because air circulation is not as good. Hauling tropical fruits is not as critical in this situation.
However, it can be critical for a cold sensitive product such as bananas, especially if those bananas are loaded against the sidewalls, or the air flow on the trailer floor is blocked. If it’s zero degrees outside, there are going to be some cold spots in the trailer. It can do some pretty signficant damage to bananas, which will turn gray when ripened, Macleod says.
“The general rule is you need good air flow around the load and under the load by keeping the product away from the sidewalls and on pallets off of the floor (of the trailer)….whether it’s cold outside or hot,” Macleod states.
When hauling “colder” crops such as broccoli or strawberries, he says the rules are pretty much the same as they are in summertime. The trailer’s cold spots in winter are the same as the hot spots in the summer, because these occur where there is the least air flow.
Macleod notes it is easier to maintain a temperature range of 30 to 34 degrees F. in the winter because the reefer unit isn’t fighting the outside heat of summertime.
“Now if it is zero degrees outside and the wind is howling, I’d be watching that temperature pretty closely. The drivers are usually pretty good about paying close attention to it. The temperature in the trailer becomes more critical when the outside temperature drops to 25 degrees F., or below,” Macleod says.
(Rich Macleod is vice president, pallet division North America for TransFresh Corp., Salinas, CA. TranFresh provides Tectrol, a service where the atmosphere integrity of berry shipments is maintained at a 10 percent or higher CO2 level. This provides better quality arrivals of berries and longer shelf life.)