Have you ever been grocery shopping, picked out the ice cream you wanted and raced home to get the ice cream back in your freezer before it melted? Well hopefully you didn’t end up stuck in traffic and a pool of melted ice cream in the back of the car! Ever wonder how ice cream and other frozen items are transported to the stores without melting or spoiling? With the use a refrigerated trucks, your items can be shipped all across the country while maintaining their desired temperature to stay frozen. With over 4 million reefer trucks being used worldwide its clear see that refrigerated trucks work! But where did it all start? Somewhere in the 1850’s the first attempt was made at shipping perishable items by train from destination to destination using ice. The cars of the train were nothing more than giant ice boxes on wheels. This idea has made it possible for frozen foods and perishable items such as fresh produce to be shipped great distances to be stocked at grocery stores and markets.
Some of the different ways to transport perishable items differ depending on what’s being hauled. Fruits and vegetables don’t always require the use of a refrigerated truck for transport. Often times insulated and ventilated vans are used to transport these items; they are also not equipped with a cooling apparatus. But when you have perishable freight that needs to be shipped and maintained at a specific temperature then a reefer truck is what is needed. Some reefer trucks can be ice-cooled, and some utilize the use of carbon dioxide as a cooling agent, this can be used either as dry ice or in liquid form. Some are also equipped with any one of a variety of mechanical refrigeration systems that are powered by small diesel engines. In fact the first successful mechanically refrigerated trucks were introduced around 1925 by the ice cream industry.
With technology that has been around since the 1800’s and only vastly improved throughout the years, there should be no worry when it comes to transporting your perishable cargo across the country! And if you are looking for the lowest rates and best service for all your transportation needs, including refrigerated trucking, get a free instant freight quote from Freight Rate Central!
