Economists are seeing a steep rise in market demand for transportation services. In fact, it is projected that by 2020, some 29.1 million of these types of logistics units will be operating worldwide, and a considerable section of the industry will be made up of refrigerated trucks and vans.
Perishable produce, frozen food or beverages, chemicals, plants, and other temperature-sensitive items that you store, serve, or transport to your customer should be in their best condition at any given time. Can you imagine what a refrigeration breakdown could do to your products? You’ll have to deal with spoilage, rejected or wasted products, delivery delays, and an upsurge in operational costs —the recipe for a business disaster!
Serving products that require low or freezing temperatures require extra care and attention. You need to keep the temperature of your refrigerated trucks and vans precisely controlled.
When your refrigerated van or truck operates at peak performance, you will have more uptime, and less downtime, and lessen your need to rent a substitute truck while repairs are performed. Deciding to purchase a new or used food truck is a big investment that you’ll want to keep running for years. Keeping it regularly cleaned and maintained will prolong its lifespan and give you a better return on investment down the road.
Here are three fundamental ways to do that:
Conduct regular checks
If you’re delivering frozen products, refrigeration is the number one concern. More than anything, the condition of the insulation in your truck should never be compromised. Make sure that the walls are completely free from cracks and door seals are in working order. You should also frequently test the drains to make sure they are free flowing with no debris. Assessing these elements prior to loading your cargo prevents costly and inconvenient issues such as lost product due to a refrigeration breakdown.
Look out for red flags and have them attended to right away.
Is your refrigerated truck or van taking more time than it should to cool down? Are you hearing odd sounds? Do you notice some irregularity in the temperature settings? A lot of times truck and van operators are tempted to shrug off the inconsistencies they see in their truck’s performance but these small issues can lead to big problems. If your business depends on a refrigerated truck on a daily basis, you need to take malfunctions seriously no matter how trivial they seem and give urgent attention to problems that are affecting its performance.
Remember that these types of food business and delivery vehicles are sensitive. Fixing the components or disassembling them should be done only by skilled professionals specializing in refrigerated van repairs and services.
Nothing beats scheduled tune-ups and routine maintenance.
The best thing you can do for your refrigerated truck or van is to schedule regular checks as part of a preventative maintenance plan. Scheduling repair and maintenance services with a team of certified and experienced mechanics can make the difference between a profitable day or a huge loss in product. The consequences of an engine or refrigeration failure can be catastrophic for your food service or delivery business!
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For top-performing used refrigerated vans and trucks, visit us at Truck-N-Trailer, your leading commercial used truck dealer in Oklahoma. Call or visit us at 6560 S.E. 74th St., in Oklahoma City.
