Those who ship perishable and heat sensitive goods can now reach new customers with refrigerated transport. Here’s a quick summary of the costs.
Shipping perishables, frozen goods, or temperature-sensitive medical supplies across Canada requires dependable and effective equipment. If you’re in the market for a refrigerated truck, you’re likely wondering how much they cost. Refrigerated transport services can vary in price, depending on the size and type of truck you need, as well as the distance you’ll be travelling. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what factors go into the cost of refrigerated transport services, so you can get an idea of what to expect.
What Impacts Refrigerated Shipping Costs?
Weather: Refrigerated shipping is more in demand during hot weather which can increase prices. Additionally, rates can increase the hotter it is due to more energy needed to keep the truck cold.
Fuel Costs: Shipping rates go up when fuel costs, especially diesel, are higher in a specific area due to taxes, market forces, or other regional factors. When fuel prices drop, shipping costs should go down accordingly. If fuel prices are volatile at the time you’re shipping, carriers might set their rates higher to protect themselves against sudden fuel price hikes.
Current Conditions: Unprecedented situations can affect refrigerated shipping costs at any time. The current state 0f geopolitical and environmental factors can both decrease and increase shipping costs.
Delays: Delays can happen for any number of reasons including inspections by police or customs, incomplete documentation of the shipment, and the shipment not being ready for pickup on time. Any delay will add costs to your shipping.
Overweight Items: Items that do not have a consistent weight may result in extra charges. It is important to monitor and record consistent weight when shipping to avoid transportation becoming an issue. Don’t forget to consider fuel weights and equipment, as it contributes to the total weight.
Loading/Unloading Fees: Lumpers are the third common hidden costs that companies face when shipping refrigerated goods. A lumper is a fee charged when a shipper utilizes 3rd party workers to help load or unload the contents of a trailer and are often used at food warehousing companies and grocery distributors. These fees are often reimbursable to the driver by the shipper or the freight broker.
How Transport Companies like SNA Reduce Shipping Costs
While some fees are unavoidable, others can be reduced and managed. Consider these tips to help reduce your refrigerated shipping costs:
Combine multiple transportation modes: If you’re moving freight over long distances, you could consider whether intermodal is an option. On some routes intermodal provides dependable, consistent service, at a lower cost to truck transportation.
Ensure All Documents are Complete: Ensuring that your documents are fully filled out and that there is an accurate description of your shipment listed can help prevent delays especially at customs.
Pre-Clearance: you can get pre-clearance with customs by submitting documents before shipping. This extra step can help reduce the chances of unexpected issues.
Take control of inbound shipments: Consider whether controlling your inbound shipments could provide value to your outbound transportation provider(s). If you can tie your inbound shipments from suppliers with your outbound shipments of product, you’ll provide your carrier with loads in both directions. This could generate a more balanced and efficient transportation model for your carrier and help them reduce empty miles and improve equipment utilization. Those efficiencies should result in cost savings for you along the way.
Communicate Well: Many delays are due to shippers and carriers not communicating well or frequently enough. Make sure your carrier knows what will be expected on the route, other reimbursable fees that might be involved, and your expectations upfront. Communicating this from the start will also give the carrier a chance to express any concerns or delays they expect.
Overweight Load Permits: You can bypass potential delays caused by an overweight shipment by applying for an overweight load permit. If you, as a shipper, know your load will be overweight you can check with your carrier to see if they have this type of permit.
Benefits of Refrigerated Transport Services
You want your perishable items, frozen foods, and produce transported in state-of-the-art refrigerated equipment by professional, experienced drivers. Companies that utilize cutting-edge industry technology provide highly reliable in-transit delivery performance, superior customer service, and on-time pickups to ensure your refrigerated products are delivered with the same care you took to produce them. The top three benefits of refrigerated trucking include:
Safely transport fresh products. There is always a demand for fresh products and the refrigerated trucks and trailers to safely transport them.
Haul dry or refrigerated goods. Refrigerated trailers and trucks efficiently haul both dry and refrigerated products.
Protects freight. Freight is protected from theft, spoilage, damage, and weather conditions when hauled in refrigerated trucks and trailers.
Trust the Experts
Through our member companies, the ShipNorthAmerica Network provides a broad range of services in specialized freight movement. Visit our blog for more articles, news, and updates for the transportation industry.