Cold chain
Refrigerated Transport
Refrigerated transport moves chilled or frozen poultry from the processing plant to distribution centres, retail and export. Reefer vehicles must hold set-point through the full transit including port and border stops.
Supplier-neutral educational content. HatchMatch does not rank suppliers.
Role within the project
Cold-chain integrity in transport is the single highest-risk step in fresh-poultry supply. A single break loses shelf-life for the whole load.
Typical applications
- Fresh distribution — set-point 0 to +2 °C
- Frozen distribution — set-point -18 °C or below
- Export by reefer container
- Cross-docking to retail DCs
Selection criteria
- Reefer refrigerant compliance
- Insulation K-factor and door-seal quality
- Temperature-recorder and GPS integration
- Redundancy on long routes
Engineering considerations
- Set-point uniformity front-to-back
- Ambient design temperature for coldest / hottest routes
- Door-opening frequency modelled
- Redundant reefer unit on long routes / export
Commercial considerations
- Own vs contract fleet — commercial decision by scale
- Fuel and refrigerant OPEX per km
- Insurance on load spoilage
Procurement considerations
- Independent K-factor test on new units
- Temperature-recorder audit-ready format
- Route-by-route ambient design temperature stated in RFQ
- Refrigerant compliance for cross-border operation
Common mistakes
- Buying nameplate insulation not measured K-factor
- No temperature-recorder audit trail — regulator and buyer reject shipments
- Ignoring extreme-ambient routes
- No redundant reefer on export loads
Ask suppliers
Ask for measured K-factor, refrigerant compliance and temperature-recorder audit-ready output on your target route ambient.
Related resources
Frequently asked
Own or contract reefer fleet?
Below ~20 loads/day and mixed distribution, contract fleets usually win economically. Above ~50 loads/day with predictable routes, owned fleet often pays back.
Is refrigerant compliance a real constraint?
Yes. EU F-gas rules, GCC regulations and various national regimes restrict refrigerants — non-compliant reefers cannot cross borders. Confirm target-market rules before order.