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February 17, 2015 
Allen Lund Company Newsletter
Written by your perishable experts 

In This Issue
Keeping it Cool
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Keeping it Cool

 

In refrigerated transportation, maintaining proper temperature is equally as important as getting the product to its destination on time. With fresh produce especially, a 5� variance can mean the difference between a successful delivery and one that results in hours of negotiations with the claims department.

 

It is important to understand how to keep proper temperature. It's very basic but worth saying that every refrigerated load must start off with product and the trailer properly pre-cooled. Refrigerated trailers are 48 or 53 feet long and are a testament to engineering and ingenuity as they work to keep thousands of loads everyday at their proper temperature. These trailers are designed to maintain temperature; they are not really designed to lower product temperature.

 

Refrigeration systems must fight off two main types of heat. The first type is exterior heat that comes from the sun and the road. The trailers fight off heat from the sun with white insulated roof tops that reflect most of the sun's rays back and away from the trailer. Trailers have a more difficult time with heat that comes from the road. Roads absorb heat during the day and radiate that heat back in the evening. In the summertime roads can get up over 130�F. Because trailers have metal floors, the heat infiltrates the trailer more easily; this is why most loads affected by exterior heat, are affected from the bottom up. Proper airflow through the floor channels is critical to fight off road heat. The second source of heat is from the load itself. When produce is harvested it begins to decay. This decay process generates heat called vital heat. Some items such as corn, spinach and broccoli give off surprisingly high amounts of vital heat. To combat this, the product must be properly loaded and the air distribution system within the trailer must circulate the cooler air through the load to absorb this heat and keep the load cool.

 

The carrier and the dockworkers at loading point and delivery points must work together and communicate effectively so that every delivery is a successful delivery. Information must be accurately conveyed to brokers and dispatchers as many products require special handling. Fortunately, over the years we have seen claim rates continue to drop as equipment and information continue to improve. It is an incredible system that delivers millions of pounds of fresh produce every day and we are proud to be a part of it.

 

Stay cool.

 

 

 

Kenny Lund
VP Support Operations

Kenny Lund graduated from Loyola Marymount with a degree in Business Administration and managed the refrigerated transportation division in Los Angeles for eight years, before shifting full time into managing the Information and Technology Department in 1997; becoming the Vice President of the department in 2002. Lund was promoted to Vice President - Support Operations which includes: Information and Technology and Marketing. In 2014 Lund started working with the ALC Logistics division to sell Transportation Management Systems (TMS). He is on the Board of Directors and is chair of the Supply Chain and Logistics Council for United Fresh Produce Association.
About Allen Lund Company: Specializing as a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices, the Allen Lund Company works with shippers and carriers across the nation to transport dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce), and flatbed freight; additionally, the Allen Lund Company has an international division, which is licensed by the FMC as an OTI-NVOCC #019872NF, and a logistics and software division, ALC Logistics. 
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