A 10-point checklist before you book a 2–8 °C reefer

Temperature excursions rarely happen on the highway. They happen at the dock: a reefer that was not pre-cooled, a door left open while pallets were rearranged, a logger buried where it cannot see the warm air. This is the checklist our pharma desk runs before every 2–8 °C dispatch.

Before loading

1. Pre-cool the reefer body to the set point for at least 60 minutes and record the reading. 2. Check the unit's fuel or power and the last service date. 3. Confirm that the product was conditioned to temperature before it reached the dock. 4. Agree on the excursion protocol in writing: who gets called, within how many minutes, and what the driver does.

While loading

5. Load by pallet in a planned sequence and keep door-open time under 10 minutes. 6. Leave air gaps at the front wall, the floor and the sides so cold air can circulate. 7. Place one data logger near the door and one at the front wall, because that is where excursions show up first.

In transit and at delivery

8. Write the seal numbers and logger IDs on the transport documents so the receiver can verify them. 9. Monitor live temperature through the control tower and investigate any alarm within minutes. 10. Download the logger data at delivery and share it with the consignee before the truck leaves.