How to Prepare Temperature-Sensitive Freight for Transport

Temperature-sensitive freight is unforgiving. A single hour outside the validated window can wipe out a load that took weeks to source, blend, and pack. The good news: most cold-chain failures we see on the Quebec and Ontario corridors aren't caused by the trailer — they're caused by what happens before the trailer arrives.

This guide walks through the prep work our drivers wish every shipper did on the dock. None of it is exotic; all of it shows up on the BOL audit when a claim is filed.

Validate the set-point against the commodity, not the season

The most common mistake is matching the set-point to the outside weather. A pallet of fresh produce moving through Montreal in January doesn't need "warmer" air just because it's −20 °C outside — it needs the exact same +2 °C / +4 °C window it always needs. Document the commodity's validated range on the shipper's instructions, not on a sticky note that walks away with the dock worker.

Pre-cool (or pre-warm) the trailer BEFORE you load

A trailer that arrives at +20 °C and gets loaded with +2 °C product will steal heat from your cargo for the first 90 minutes of the route. Best-practice carriers run a 30-minute pre-cool with the doors closed and the reefer at set-point before the dock door opens. Ask for it in writing.

Load with airflow in mind

Pallets stacked tight against the bulkhead choke the evaporator. Pallets butted up to the rear doors trap cold air in a pocket the sensor never reads. Leave a hand-width of clearance on every side, including the floor when chimney-stacking light goods.

Document every handoff

Time-stamped temperature readings at pickup, every major rest stop, and delivery aren't bureaucracy — they're the only thing that distinguishes a "carrier-fault" claim from a "shipper-fault" claim. Our drivers run these checks every time. If yours doesn't, ask why.