[G02 TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED]
Temperature-controlled transport.
Fresh produce, frozen goods and pharmaceuticals do not fail because of the truck. They fail at the interfaces: loading, waiting, handover. This is what a reliable cold chain requires.
The short answer
Temperature-controlled transport means a defined range is held and documented without gaps — typically +2 to +7 °C for fresh food, 0 to +4 °C for meat and fish, −18 °C or colder for frozen goods, and +15 to +25 °C for most pharmaceuticals.
What counts is not only the trailer but the proof: a temperature log per shipment, pre-cooled loading space and short door-open times. Food requires HACCP-based procedures; medicinal products require GDP-compliant handling.
Which temperature range applies to which goods?
| Goods | Range | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit, vegetables, dairy | +2 to +7 °C | sensitive to warm loading docks |
| Meat, poultry, fish | 0 to +4 °C | tight tolerance, short handover times |
| Frozen goods, ice cream | −18 °C or colder | no interruption permitted |
| Medicinal products (ambient) | +15 to +25 °C | GDP documentation required |
| Cold-chain pharma | +2 to +8 °C | validated equipment, alarm on deviation |
| Chocolate, cosmetics | +12 to +18 °C | protection against heat rather than cold |
A range is only meaningful together with a tolerance and a measuring point. "+2 to +7 °C, measured in the return air, deviation of up to 15 minutes on loading permitted" is a specification a carrier can actually meet — "cool" is not.
Where cold chains actually break
In practice, almost every deviation happens outside the moving vehicle. The three classic causes:
- loading space not pre-cooled, so the first pallets warm up before departure
- long door-open times at multi-drop deliveries, especially in summer
- goods already too warm on handover — the trailer maintains temperature, it does not chill down
A refrigeration unit is designed to hold a temperature, not to bring warm goods down to specification. If the pallets leave your warehouse at +12 °C, no trailer will rescue the shipment.
Documentation and liability
Every temperature-controlled shipment should arrive with a temperature record covering the full journey, traceable to the shipment number. In the event of a claim this is the decisive evidence: without a record, the discussion turns on assertions rather than facts.
Under the CMR convention, carrier liability for international carriage is limited to 8.33 SDR per kilogram of gross weight. For high-value pharmaceutical or food consignments that limit is often far below the actual value — additional cargo insurance is then worthwhile, and we will say so before you book.
Multi-temperature and part loads
Multi-temperature trailers with movable bulkheads make it possible to combine fresh and frozen goods in one vehicle. That reduces cost, but increases coordination effort: each compartment needs its own set point, and the loading sequence has to match the delivery sequence.
Temperature-controlled part loads are possible and often sensible, provided the other shipments share the same range. Combining +4 °C and −18 °C goods in one compartment is not a price question, it is a specification breach.
The details your enquiry needs
- goods, temperature range and permitted tolerance
- temperature of the goods at the moment of loading
- number of pallets, stackability, over-height packaging
- number of delivery points and time windows
- required documentation: temperature log, HACCP checklist, GDP evidence
- value of the goods, to assess whether additional insurance makes sense
Last updated: September 2026 · Information provided without warranty, not legal advice
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