Posts Tagged ‘ReeferTrak’

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Draft Bill Seeks National Drug Traceability System

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Senators Michael Bennet, Lamar Alexander, Richard Burr, and Tom Harkin recently released a draft bill that would enhance safety measures in the pharmaceutical supply chain throughout the entire distribution process.

showme

Road Scholar Transport’s ShowMe feature tracks the live position of your freight, right down to the breadcrumbs. (Click Image to enlarge)

Instead of the current tracing system that is available at the lot-level, the bill would gradually build over a 10-year period a system able to trace at the unit-level, helping to eliminate contamination concerns once the products are circulated to stores and pharmacies and distributed to consumers.  As Sen. Bennet explains, “Over the past few years, we’ve had a record number of recalls and reports of tainted or ineffective drugs reaching our hospitals and drug store shelves.  In fact, right now, we know more from a barcode on a gallon of milk than from a barcode on a bottle of pills, which could mean the difference between life and death.” 1

The proposed bill would establish a national drug traceability system that would track individual drug bottles from the time it is manufactured to the time it is placed on store shelves for purchase.

reefertrak

Road Scholar Transport’s ReeferTrak system monitors your temperature-sensitive freight, providing the times the reefer was turned on/off, location history as well as current status, when the trailer door was opened/closed, and the temperature within the trailer during a specific time. (Click Image to enlarge)

In explaining the bill, the Senators stated, “It would require the entire drug supply chain, including manufacturers, repackagers, wholesale distributors, third-party logistics providers, and dispensers to pass transaction information, transaction history, and transaction statements, as applicable, when there is a change of ownership.  Additionally, no one in the supply chain would be allowed to accept drugs if this information is not provided as part of a transaction.” 1

These requirements would help prevent thieves from stealing pharmaceuticals and selling them at cheap prices to unknowingly buyers.  Such was the case in 2009 when consumers purchasing insulin from legitimate pharmacies experienced convulsions, a rise in blood sugar, and so on, uncovering that the insulin was part of a shipment that was hijacked months ago from a truck and became ineffective. 2 Out of the truckload of insulin stolen, only 2% had been recovered.

The bill would also “strengthen licensure requirements for wholesale distributors and require the FDA to keep a database of wholesale distributors that will be available to the public on the FDA website” in an effort to identify licensed wholesalers. 4

Comments on the draft may be submitted to drugdistributionsecurity@help.senate.gov by April 26th.

Do you believe that oversight of the prescription drug supply chain needs to be improved and is a uniform national drug traceability system requiring transaction information, history, and statements to be provided before acceptance of drugs in every part of the supply chain part of the solution?

1http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillypharma/Four-senators-push-bill-to-improve-medicine-tracking-in-pharmaceutical-supply-chain.html

2http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/31/drug-theft-goes-big/

3http://www.rxtrace.com/2012/05/the-built-in-protections-of-the-u-s-pharma-supply-chain.html/

4http://www.bennet.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/bennet-burr-harkin-alexander-release-draft-bill-to-improve-safety-of-nations-drug-supply

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Texas Legislation Seeks Greater Weight Limit on Mexican Produce Trucks

Friday, April 19th, 2013

109,000 lbs. The maximum gross weight of a double tractor trailer unit allowed on Mexico’s Federal highway system.  But in the U.S., this number is much lower with the standard weight limit of trucks on interstate highways being 80,000 lbs.

reefertrak

Road Scholar Transport’s ReeferTrak system provides electronic door and temperature monitoring, immediately alerting our team of even the slightest change in temperature allowing us to change the temperature of the trailer while in transit from our main terminal to keep your products fresh.

This change in weight requirements poses a hassle for Mexican produce carriers transporting their shipments into the U.S., who must first stop and transfer their extra produce into a second Mexican truck before crossing the border into Texas in order to avoid an overweight fine that averages around $110.

Not only does expense come into factor, as carriers need to utilize two trucks instead of one as well as delays resulting from stopping at transfer points, but moving the extra produce into a second truck increases contamination and quality concerns especially in high degree temperatures, since produce needs to be transported under cool temperatures provided by a reefer.

A bill filed by State Representative Sergio Muñoz Jr. and recently passed by the Texas House of Representatives last week is looking to reduce these concerns.

If it becomes law, the bill would “allow trucks to pay an $80 fee in exchange for crossing the border overweight,” in which produce sellers are already stating support towards. 1 Along with its companion bill, introduced by Senator Juan Hinojosa and awaiting approval in the Texas Senate, the bills would “allow Mexican carriers pulling refrigerated trailers to enter the border commercial zone and make delivery to the McAllen produce terminal and other locations.” 2

As MexicoTrucker.com notes, although “the Texas Department of Transportation already oversees three corridors for overweight trucks in other parts of the state; this new one would be the first to apply only to produce trucks.” 2

Besides reducing handling and thus, contamination concerns, the bills would also provide the following benefits according to the New York Times:  1) The $80 fee for permission to cross the border overweight would go towards road repairs resulting from damage caused by heavy trucks.  2)  It would increase trade with Mexico.  3)  By omitting the need to transfer a large shipment into two trucks, it would reduce the number of Mexican trucks waiting to cross the border, and ultimately, lead to fresher produce. 3

The Mazatlán-Matamoros Corridor, “a highway that will provide a direct route between Mexico’s western growing regions and South Texas” is in the process of being finished and “is expected to accelerate a shift of Mexican produce trucks entering the United States to Hidalgo County from Nogales, Ariz., for quicker access to East Coast markets.” 1

For more information on Road Scholar’s temperature protect service and to request a freight rate visit www.roadscholar.com.
Do you think that the weight limit on Mexican produce trucks should be increased on Texas highways in an effort to cut down on contamination concerns due to transfer of products to meet U.S. weight regulations before crossing the border?

1http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Bill-would-open-road-for-border-trucking-4439560.php

2http://mexicotrucker.com/bill-passes-texas-house-to-allow-overweight-mexican-trucks-on-texas-highways

3http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/story/2013/04/cross-border-trucking-with-mexico-heating-up.aspx?prestitial=1

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Foodbourne Illness Outbreaks

Friday, April 12th, 2013
outbreaks

Click Image to Enlarge

Foodborne illnesses affect 1 in 6 people annually, claiming nearly 3,000 lives.  But where are they occurring?  Which products had the most outbreaks?  Which were the most dangerous?  These are all questions recently answered by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in their white paper, Outbreak Alert!  2001-2010 A Review of Foodborne Illness in America, released last month.

The CSPI analyzed 7,194 unique foodborne outbreaks documented within a 10-year period (1991 to 2010), accounting for 205,867 cases of illness.1

Outbreak Locations

According to the CSPI’s analysis, cases of outbreaks were greatest in restaurant settings, accounting for 1,786 outbreaks and 32,919 illnesses, while household settings resulted in the second highest number of illnesses (12,666) in 922 outbreak incidents.  Prisons contained 77 unique outbreaks with 10,660 sicknesses, the third largest, with 1,644 of those occurring in a single incident in 2006, in which contaminated milk was served resulting in the largest single-source outbreak of the decade. 1

Food Product Type

According to the white paper, four food product categories resulted in the most outbreaks, making up 51% of all cases.  These products were as follows:

#1  Produce:  696 outbreaks (17%), 25,222 illnesses (24%)

#2  Seafood:  657 outbreaks, 5,603 illnesses

#3  Meat

-1.  Poultry:  458 outbreaks, 11,338 illnesses

-2.  Beef:  363 outbreaks, 7,528 illnesses

-3.  Pork:  176 outbreaks, 3,794 illnesses

#4  Dairy:  193 outbreaks, 5,524 illnesses

Highest-Risks Foods

The product with the greatest number of outbreaks does not mean that it is the highest at risk food.  In fact, in this case, it’s the exact opposite.  Produce was found to be one of the safest foods to consume, along with fruit and dairy.  CSPI ranks seafood as the most hazardous product when analyzing risk of illness-per-pound followed by poultry, eggs, beef, and pork. 1

To read the CSPI’s white paper visit http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/outbreak_alert_2013_final.pdf.

How to Prevent

Although foodbourne illnesses will always be an ongoing problem, there are several strategies that can help prevent products from being at risk.

-Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

On January 4th, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Obama, making it the first significant food safety reform in over 70 years.

According to the new Act, the Food and Drug Administration will be granted the authority to “regulate about 80 percent of the food supply with the exceptions of meat and poultry,” with the capability of issuing mandatory recalls, analyzing irrigation water, requiring “credited third party certification for high-risk foods,” and deny entry of products to “foreign companies who do not allow the FDA access to their facilities.” 2,3

According to Food Safety Magazine, “Food companies should begin getting ready now before the FSMA is fully implemented so they can be adequately prepared for new inspection standards since the FDA will be much stricter.” 3

-Safe Transport

It is very important to stress safety throughout the entire supply chain, including transportation.  Entrusting your freight in the hands of unsafe drivers, poor equipment, and shady carriers can lead to an unruly number of risks.  Here are a few ways Road Scholar Transport offers to keep your food products safe:

Aluminum Floor Trailers:  Wooden trailer floors serve as a means of contamination, as spills within the trailer from previous freight, unsanitary objects and materials being carried on from shoes and forklifts, among many other means penetrate the flooring, building up chemicals and bacteria which can enter future freight.  Road Scholar’s aluminum floor trailers create a more sanitary environment for your products.  We conduct regular sweeps on all trailers to ensure that your freight is being transported in a clean, and therefore safe, environment as well as have record of what was inside the trailer before your freight, before that, within the last month, and so on, as well as what has been transported since the last time the trailer was cleaned.

Proper Temperature Conditions:  The upcoming summer months pose a large risk for shippers whose food products must maintain specific temperature ranges or face spoilage and contamination risks.  Therefore, it is important that you ensure that carriers are properly maintaining these conditions throughout the entire process.

With Road Scholar’s ReeferTrak system, we can provide our customers proof of the exact temperature inside the reefer any time, even months after delivery.  Our ReeferTrak immediately alerts our team of even the slightest change in the temperature allowing our team to change the temperature of the trailer while in transit from our main terminal.

Security:  It goes without saying that stolen products, even if recovered, run a high risk of contamination concerns.   We cut back on the handling of your products, which could lead to contamination, by offering 24-hour expedited service, dock-to-dock with NO transfers.  We can provide the exact route that the truck took with a time log noting every door opening/closing, temperature conditions within the trailer at any given time, and its exact location (right down to the breadcrumbs), along with protecting your freight with security features including Navalock.

To learn how you can check a carrier’s CSA scores, contact at www.roadscholar.com.

What do you find to be the number one factor of foodborne outbreaks during the transportation process?  Is it poor equipment?  Theft?  Improper handling?  Etc.

1http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/outbreak_alert_2013_final.pdf

2http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20130407/NEWS01/130407010/New-standards-intended-improve-food-safety

3http://www.strategicsourceror.com/2013/04/new-fda-regulations-could-have-large.html

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Fraudulent Driver Steals 21 Tons of Muenster Cheese

Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013

One man is saying “cheese” for his mugshot after being arrested for stealing 21 tons of muenster cheese with the intention of selling it to East Coast retailers at a discounted price (and no, his name wasn’t Colby or Monterey Jack).

Illinois’ Venjamin Balika pulled into Pasture Pride Venjamin BalikaCheese in Wisconsin and presented them with false paperwork which he used to secure 42,000 lb. of cheese manufactured by K&K Cheese in Wisconsin.  The shipment, which contained 1,135 cases of cheese, enough to make nearly 250,000 sandwiches, was valued at $200,000 (now that’s a lot of cheddar) and scheduled to deliver to a Texas location.

But Balika wasn’t that gouda con artist, being arrested by a detective sgt., who was responding to an attempted truck arson nearby, at the Vince Lombardia Service Area off the New Jersey State Turnpike, attempting to sell the cheese.  It’s a good thing the fire didn’t break out or there would be a lot of grilled cheese to clean up.

Balika was released on bail for $25,000.  Naperville police records show that he “was arrested October 2011 and charged with two counts of driving without a license, driving without a rear license plate light and violating the lights and lamps act.” 1

According to K&K Cheese, since the cheese could have been contaminated, they refused to keep it and their contracted trucking company will pay for the loss. 2 Meanwhile, the cheese will be inspected by health authorities and, if found safe, will be donated to charity.

In situations like this where the integrity and safety of the product is at stake, Road Scholar Transport can ease contamination concerns by assuring you, the shipper, that your products were safely transported in the required temperature range given throughout the entire delivery process.

reefertrak

Click Image to Enlarge

In looking at the example on the right, you will see that our ReeferTrak system provides our customers proof of the exact temperature inside the reefer any time, even months after delivery so you don’t have to worry about whether your products face a possible contamination risk due to improper transport.

Our ReeferTrak immediately alerts our team of even the slightest change in the temperature of your freight, monitoring any door opening or closing.
Besides the ability of Road Scholar to maintain the proper temperature conditions for transporting your freight, we also place a strong emphasis on security with real-time satellite tracking, and the ability to verify drivers via Regiscope available through our website.

To learn more about security in the supply chain, request your free copy of our white paper, “Supply Chain Insanity…Would You Use a Babysitter You Found on Craigslist,” by clicking here.

What do you think of the ability to verify drivers via Regiscope online before entrusting them with your freight the way that Road Scholar does?

1http://joliet.patch.com/articles/plainfield-man-stole-200000-worth-of-cheese-police-33178908

2http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/03/29/police-this-guy-stole-200000-of-wisconsin-cheese/

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FDA Proposes Two Major Regulations for Increased Food Safety in Supply Chain

Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

On January 4th, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Obama, making it the first significant food safety reform in over 70 years.

Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) progressed forward in releasing two major proposals which, instead of intended towards consumers, would affect “areas such as suppliers, manufacturing plantshttp://www.roadscholar.com/blog/wp-admin/post-new.php, wholesale dealers, and transportation.” 1

The FDA’s following proposed rules “build on existing voluntary industry guidelines for food safety” and “are key to the preventive food safety approach established by the 2011 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.” 2

1.  Manufacturing, process, packing, or holding facilities of human food products that “are required to register with FDA under FDA’s current food facility registration regulations,” must “develop a formal plan for preventing their products from causing foodborne illnesses.” 2,3 This includes:

a) “Analyzing potential hazards associated with their facilities” along with a recall plan. 4

b) “Develop and implement controls to significantly minimize or prevent those hazards.” 4

c) “Verify the controls are working (and take corrective action if they are not).” 4

d) “Periodically reassess those hazards and controls.” 4

This proposal is expected to cover an anticipated 97,600 domestic and 109,200 foreign facilities. 5

2.  “Enforceable safety standards for the production and harvesting of produce on farms.” 3

Risks

Do you know that 1 in 6 Americans suffer foodborne illnesses, affecting 48 million Americans, hospitalizing nearly 130,000 and causing nearly 3,000 fatalities annually?

Not properly vetting out brokers or carriers puts your product and brand equity at risk through recalls and vicarious liability claims, due to accidents, spoilage due to negligence, and faulty equipment.  Road Scholar outlines these risks and how to prevent them in our white paper:  Supply Chain Insanity: Would you Choose a Babysitter Found on Craigslist? Click here for your free copy.

According to the FDA, its proposal would attribute to nearly 1 million of food illnesses each year and save nearly $2 billion annually from the economic cost of illnesses. 5 During its first year in effect, the proposal is expected to cost $701 million with “an annualized cost of $472 million using a 7 percent discount rate.” 5

How Can Road Scholar Help?

Road Scholar Transport provides you with six ways to keep your freight safe from contamination:

aluminum floor

*We utilize aluminum floor trailers which can help prevent contamination built up on wooden flooring over time, creating a more sanitary environment for your products.

*We conduct regular sweeps on all trailers to ensure that your freight is being transported in a clean, and therefore safe, environment.

*We have record of what was inside the trailer before your freight, before that, within the last month, and so on, as well as what has been transported since the last time the trailer was cleaned.

*We employ reefer tracking with the ability to adjust trailer temperature remotely from headquarters, complete with unlimited user-defined temperature alerts, displaying the history of the temperature inside the trailer (even months after delivery) to ensure that your freight was transported under the proper conditions.

* Electronic Door Monitoring:  Displays the time of every door opening/closure alerting of any suspicious activity.

Effective Date

Currently, there is a 120 day comment period on the FDA’s proposals.  If published, the rule would take affect after 60 days.  Compliance dates are as follows (according to the FDA website):

-“Small Businesses—a business that employs fewer than 500 persons and that does not qualify for an exemption would have to comply two years after publication of the final rule.” 5

-“Very Small Businesses—Three options are being proposed for the definition of a very small business: less than $250,000,  less than $500,000, and less than $1,000,000 in total annual sales of food, adjusted for inflation. Very small businesses, which would be considered “qualified facilities” and subject to modified requirements for preventive controls, would have to comply three years after publication of the final rule.” 5

-“Other Businesses—a business that is not small or very small and does not qualify for an exemption would have to comply one year after publication of the final rule.” 5

Read the FDA’s proposed regulations at http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/ucm334115.htm.

Would you like to know more about Road Scholar’s ReeferTrak?  Contact us at www.roadscholar.com.

1http://www.hayspost.com/2013/01/14/extension-agent-u-s-food-supply-generally-very-safe/

2http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d34b3dbc-273a-4e9f-ac48-3871a85e8a58

3http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/latest/DC-Watch-Debt-ceiling-debate-next-on-US-agenda–186493231.html

4http://www.feedstuffs.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F4D1A9DFCD974EAD8CD5205E15C1CB42&nm=Breaking+News&type=news&mod=News&mid=A3D60400B4204079A76C4B1B129CB433&tier=3&nid=CAF887EA5AC643D8A4B846D700FC85DC

5http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/ucm334115.htm

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State Passes Temperature-Protect Law as Shippers Continue to Battle Hot Trucks

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

After nearly five years of the Indiana State Department of Health urging for the passage of a law that would “make it a class A infraction to transport food that is more than two degrees above the acceptable temperature, that shows outward signs of contamination or spoilage or that is loaded in a way that risks cross-contamination,” the ruling went into effect last month. 1

Food safety remains a large topic of concern, with President Obama signing the Food Safety Modernization Act last year that would require more “inspections, recordkeeping, and testing” for shippers, as well as grant the Food and Drug Administration the authority to issue mandatory recalls opposed to voluntary ones. 2

But even with these regulations, shippers continue to face contamination concerns due to improper temperature conditions during transport of their food products.  And with record temperatures across most of the U.S. this summer, this has become an even larger concern.

Just last month, Indiana State Police pulled over numerous hot trucks scheduled to deliver food products to stores and restaurants throughout the state, with trailer temperatures reaching up to 100 degrees for shipments containing dairy products (which are typically kept at 45 degrees).

In one situation police uncovered a truck hauling nearly 150 lbs. of meat products (chicken and pork) at 70-80 degree conditions, far exceeding the 41 degree maximum standard temperature that refrigerated foods must be transported in order to prevent bacterial growth and contamination.  Not only does the meat now become contaminated, but thaws out, allowing for the dripping of juices and blood onto the trailer floor, thus serving as a petri dish for future shipments to possibly become contaminated as well.

In another case, police uncovered an odor coming from the trailer and found that a load of “cabbage had mold growing on it because of chicken juices and the beef, that had spoiled, had been re-cooled,” resulting in over 2,000 lb. of food being destroyed. 3

As Indiana State Police Captain Wayne Andrews explains, “Many of the trucking companies do not care about proper refrigeration.  Some of them, they’ve been put out of service, essentially closed down multiple times, and they pop back up under a new name.” 3

Due to contamination concerns, Indiana restaurant owners are required to “check the temperature of food upon delivery,” however, “they do not have to document whether or not they’re doing it,” along with the problem that they do not know whether the freight maintained that temperature throughout the trip, since some drivers turn the reefer back on when they are a certain distance away to appear as if they kept the proper temperature, thus saving fuel. 1

But what if we told you that Road Scholar Transport can assure you, the shipper, that your products were safely transported in the required temperature range given throughout the entire delivery process?

With our ReeferTrak system, we can provide our customers proof of reefertrakthe exact temperature inside the reefer any time, even months after delivery so you don’t have to worry about whether your products face a possible contamination risk due to improper transport.

Our ReeferTrak immediately alert our team of even the slightest change in the temperature of your freight, providing the right environmental conditions for your freight.

As a shipper, would you conduct business with a carrier who could provide proof of the temperature inside the reefer during transport over one who could not?

Want to know what transport conditions are appropriate for specific products?  Below is a list of guidelines for chill and frozen cargo provided by http://www2.nykline.com/liner/cargo_advisory/chill_frozen.html.

temperatures

Click to Enlarge

1http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2012/8/9/OverheatedfoodtrucksareraisingredflagsinIndiana.aspx

2http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/temp-controlled-food-transport-safe-travels/

3http://www.fox59.com/news/wxin-hot-trucks-indiana-state-police-say-contaminated-food-in-hot-trucks-end-up-in-area-restaurants-20120725,0,542942.column

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Cargo to be Destroyed after Police Uncover Partial Load of Meat

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

Just days before Christmas when everyone is rushing to the stores to load up on everything they need for their traditional Christmas dinner, thieves stole a trailer loaded with several thousands of dollars worth the meats and vegetables.

HoneyBaked Ham

The truck, which was parked behind a HoneyBaked Ham store in Cordova, TN, was filled with 1,017 hams worth $56,000, 42 boxes of turkeys worth $15,000, and $57,000 worth of side dishes (which included potatoes, casseroles and cinnamon apples), according to WMCTV.com.

Somewhere between the times of 11:15 p.m. on Dec. 20th (when the trailer was last seen) and 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 21st, the truck was stolen.

After sending out an alert for police to stay on watch for the tractor trailer, Memphis police recovered the abandoned truck two days later, the exact location not released, however, three quarters of the cargo was taken, WMCTV explains.

Although a quarter of the cargo was recovered, the high risk of contamination is enough to keep the products off the market.  As HoneyBaked Ham’s Robin Blanton stated, “Because the product has been out of our control for the period of time, we of course are not able to sell it.  Because of food safety issues, we’re not able to donate the product as well.  We’ll just have to destroy the product” (http://www.wmctv.com/story/16390097/truck-stolen-from-cordova-honeybaked-ham-recovered).

This is the unfortunate case most of the time, especially when transporting refrigerated/frozen goods, such as meat, which can become contaminated and lead to widespread health concerns when transported under improper temperature conditions and ingested by consumers.  Not knowing how long the trailer failed to maintain a proper temperature or who tampered with the product, companies are forced to discard their products, losing money.

Road Scholar Transport, however, can help.  We apply a product known as ReeferTrak to all of our refrigerated trailers, which allows our staff to carefully monitor the temperature within the trailer (and your freight), alerting us of any change in degree.  This system allows you, the customer, the ability to see the temperature of your freight, as well as its location, at any given time, with accessibility months after delivery so you don’t have to deal with the problem of disposing your freight due to contamination concerns.

Thieves will have an incredibly tough time making away with one of Road Scholar’s brightly colored awareness trucks which are tracked live, delivering its precise location as well as location history, so you not only know where your freight is but where it has been.

With electronic door monitoring alerting of every door opening/closing, our team will constantly be on guard of any irregular activity.  Not to mention Navalock capability which is bolt cutter, sledgehammer, and chisel proof to prevent the tampering of your freight.

Visit Road Scholar’s University page at www.roadscholar.com where you will learn about cargo security from Walt Beadling, Managing Partner at the Cargo Security Alliance, and Jim Barrett, President of Road Scholar Transport, and how Road Scholar is taking measures to keep your freight secure.

What do you think of Road Scholar’s ReeferTrak system?  List your comments below.

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Let Road Scholar Deliver All of the Trimmings This Thanksgiving

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Thanksgiving began its roots back in 1621 with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag, growing its popularity in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday.

turkey

Thanksgiving is a time for showing gratitude, being with family and friends, and who could forget the great food?

First of all, what’s Thanksgiving without turkey and pumpkin pie?  But did you know the careful effort it takes just to ensure that your Thanksgiving gobbler is safe to eat?

Turkey, along with other frozen foods, must maintain a precise temperature.  41 to 140°F is considered the “danger zone” of these products, named this because bacteria are known to spread rapidly under these conditions.

Maintaining the correct storage conditions, however, is tricky, especially during transport, and with over 85 million food shipments being moved each year, there are bound to be contaminated products ingested by consumers nationwide.

Now being sick on Thanksgiving from eating turkey that was improperly transported is far from being something to be thankful for.  That’s where Road Scholar comes in.

Road Scholar Transport applies a product known as ReeferTrak to all of our refrigerated trailers, which allows our staff to carefully monitor the temperature within the trailer (and your freight), alerting us of any change in degree.  This system allows you, the customer, the ability to see the temperature of your freight, as well as its location, at any given time, with accessibility months after delivery so you don’t have to deal with the problem of disposing your freight due to contamination concerns.

Now turkey and pumpkin pie may be favorites at Thanksgiving but surely you need all of the trimmings as well.   That’s why Road Scholar provides LTL service to transport your cranberry sauce, olives, and vegetables.

But what about all of that stuffing and potatoes?  No problem, we offer truckload service as well, keeping our trailer, and your stomachs, full this Thanksgiving.

With the aroma of good food all around you, you reach your hand out to grab a delicious hot bun but notice that something is wrong…the buns are spoiled.

Although frozen bread can last months in a freezer, fresh bread will typical last 2-3 days when left out and packaged bread 6-7 days after its sell date.  But what if I said that Road Scholar Transport could add an extra day or two to your bread’s lifecycle?  How?  By delivering it the next day or even same day with our expedited service.  You can easily calculate the expedited time of your shipment by going to http://www.roadscholar.com/mileage/index.php?to_zip=&=Calculate&from_zip.

And if you weren’t convinced yet of Road Scholar’s services, we’ll give you one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving…our high security features.

According to FreightWatch International, US cargo theft rate increases 28 percent on holidays.  This is because cargo sits during the holiday weekends and those members of the trucking industry are well aware of the golden rule that applies here, “cargo at rest is cargo at risk.”  That’s why Road Scholar Transport is on the road 24/7 365 days a year, so your cargo is not just sitting, waiting to be stolen.  Our top of the line security features such as electronic door monitoring, satellite tracking, navalock, and panic messaging, along with our colorful awareness trucks make it extremely difficult for thieves to steal one of our trucks and go unnoticed.

So when you are choosing a carrier to deliver your food products this holiday season, make sure you go to www.roadscholar.com…you’ll be thankful you did.

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Damage Claims Represent Large Problem for Many Trucking Companies, But Not for Road Scholar Transport

Monday, October 17th, 2011

pillsImagine this.  You place $3.78 million dollars worth of pharmaceuticals on a truck (the average loss of a stolen load in 2010) only to find out that your shipment has been completely damaged by a trucking incident.  Now imagine getting reimbursed only 1/4th the cost of your shipment.

You don’t have to imagine, it’s reality.

According to freight101.com, most trucking companies only pay 1/3rd, even 1/4th, of your freight’s damage claims.  Even worse, the typical 3rd party provider (broker) has no cargo or liability insurance, which could lead to a great loss if your freight is damaged by an unqualified driver.

Road Scholar Transport, however, has up to 1,000,000 cargo and liability insurance with a damage claim record that is among the lowest in the industry and far below the rates of those major national carriers.  How low?  Here’s an example.  In 2010 Road Scholar Transport transported 64,891,422 lbs, traveled 6,651,102 miles, and made 31,137 deliveries with a total of 9 claims.  Put another way, Road Scholar had just 0.0003% damage claims in the year 2010!

Protocols, newer equipment, safety technology, security features, and qualified drivers are reasons why Road Scholar maintains such an excellent safety record.

Take last Thursday for example, when a truck crashed in Oregon when a driver decided to reach for his lunch while driving, causing a rollover and spilling the load of milk he was transporting.

Road Scholar Transport

Unqualified drivers are everywhere, which is why Road Scholar maintains policies and procedures geared towards putting only the safest drivers on the road.  Our drivers exhibit a clean, uniformed appearance and are well-trained for transporting your LTL and truckload freight.

Or consider last Wednesday when a truck driver was speeding, causing his tractor-trailer to rollover, losing its load of frozen food and presenting contamination concerns that led to the load being deemed worthless.

Road Scholar Transport, on the other hand, has safety technology that monitors the temperature within the trailer (and your freight), alerting dispatch of even the slightest change in degree of temperature.  Our ReeferTrak system will provide you, the customer, with the ability to see the temperature of your freight, as well as its location, at any given time, with accessibility months after delivery so you don’t have to deal with the problem of disposing your freight due to contamination.

So why risk taking a large financial hit by having your freight damaged in the hands of an unqualified carrier with a questionable safety record when you can ship with a reputable company like Road Scholar Transport?

What do you think of Road Scholar’s damage claim statistics?  List your comments below.

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Number of Refrigerated Food Trucks Exceeding Legal Transport Temperatures Becoming Large Problem, Authorities Seek Action

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

The problem is happening everywhere…carriers are being caught transporting food products at unsafe temperature conditions, but out of the numerous carriers being cited, several more are slipping by due to a large loophole in the system.

food transport

Over 85 million shipments of food are transported each year according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA), with many of these shipments becoming contaminated due to improper refrigeration units.

As Scott DeFife from the National Restaurant Association explains, “Restaurants and their suppliers should have internal policies and procedures about food temperature” as well as “work closely with their vendors and be vigilant about the integrity of their supply chain” to “ensure that the products they receive meet food quality and safety standards” (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44616701/ns/today/t/statements-made-response-today-investigation-food-delivery-trucks/)

Not transporting food under specific temperature settings can be very dangerous to a consumer’s health, with salmonella and other conditions at stake.  As time goes by, more and more cases of unsafe equipment are operating on the road.

Just two months ago, MSNBC revealed a series of trucks in Indiana delivering foods that surpassed the state’s law requiring reefers to maintain a temperature of 41 degrees or lower.  The trucks were transporting food products at 70 degrees, well above the limit.

If that’s not enough, authorities have also caught a truck traveling to Indianapolis from Chicago with cargo that included meat, eggs, and produce, operating at trailer temperatures measured at 94.7 degrees, MSNBC’s TODAY notes.  As the trooper who uncovered the illegal temperatures noted, “Upon opening the door, I immediately saw flies and we were overcome with a strong odor of rotten food… All the juices have run down on the rest of the load.  It is not safe at all.”

But how are so many of these trucks slipping by?  The answer involves a major loophole that prevents health inspectors from stopping these trucks and state inspectors, who can, from having any authority on the ones they do find in violation, letting them continue onto their destination if the board of health does not show up, the news station explains.

Road Scholar Transport’s staff monitors the temperature within the trailer (and your freight) with their ReeferTrak system, being alerted of even the slightest change in degree of temperature.  Our ReeferTrak system will provide you, the customer, with the ability to see the temperature of your freight, as well as its location, at any given time, with accessibility months after delivery so you don’t have to deal with the problem of disposing your freight due to contamination.

But not everyone will ship with a secure carrier like Road Scholar, which is why MSNBC states that authorities are urging a new law from Congress or rule form the U.S. Department of Transportation, giving troopers more authority.

news

Watch Eyewitness News’ coverage on the issue by clicking on the video to the right.

Why risk your food products being ruined due to improper transport conditions when you can ship with a safe company who recognizes and abides by rules and regulations?

Learn more about Road Scholar’s temperature-regulated trailers at http://www.roadscholar.com/and to view our certifications.

What do you think needs to be done to prevent refrigerated service carriers from operating at unsafe temperatures?  Let us know below.

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