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Under the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, the shipper is responsible for ensuring that food is safe for consumption during transportation in the United States. Shippers must provide instructions to carriers based on the foods hauled. By contract, carriers can be held accountable for sanitary equipment and monitoring of certain foods while in transit.
Shippers can delegate to carriers the training of driver and office personnel on specific load requirements when using temperature-controlled or refrigerated trailers (also known as reefers) as well as general items, including:
Carriers should document training requirements in their policies and procedures and review them at least annually for relevancy and accuracy.
Following is each step in a load’s journey along with carrier best practices to protect perishables from exposure to unsafe temperatures:
Step 1: Before loading — Prepare the trailer
Drivers must haul perishables in a clean, sanitary trailer and in the required temperature range. In addition to presenting a clean trailer at the time of loading, the driver needs to:
Step 2: In-transit — Keep the load in the required temperature range
A lot can happen between the shipper and receiver. The shipper expects the load to arrive at the destination safe for consumption. Drivers must remain vigilant to guard against spoilage. Suggested practices for drivers while on the road include:
Step 3: At delivery — Document cargo condition
Many times, loads are rejected by receivers due to minor packaging concerns or poor documentation of the load condition, even if the food is safe for consumption. Carriers should train drivers to do the following when they reach the receiver:
Step 4: Between loads — Clean the equipment
The trailer's interior should be cleaned of dirt and debris after each delivery. Between loads, the following are common requirements:
Key to remember: Sanitary transportation of human and animal food boils down to training, clean equipment, reporting unsafe conditions, and documenting the condition at delivery. The STHAF rule is about food safety, not food quality.
Under the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule, the shipper is responsible for ensuring that food is safe for consumption during transportation in the United States. Shippers must provide instructions to carriers based on the foods hauled. By contract, carriers can be held accountable for sanitary equipment and monitoring of certain foods while in transit.
Shippers can delegate to carriers the training of driver and office personnel on specific load requirements when using temperature-controlled or refrigerated trailers (also known as reefers) as well as general items, including:
Carriers should document training requirements in their policies and procedures and review them at least annually for relevancy and accuracy.
Following is each step in a load’s journey along with carrier best practices to protect perishables from exposure to unsafe temperatures:
Step 1: Before loading — Prepare the trailer
Drivers must haul perishables in a clean, sanitary trailer and in the required temperature range. In addition to presenting a clean trailer at the time of loading, the driver needs to:
Step 2: In-transit — Keep the load in the required temperature range
A lot can happen between the shipper and receiver. The shipper expects the load to arrive at the destination safe for consumption. Drivers must remain vigilant to guard against spoilage. Suggested practices for drivers while on the road include:
Step 3: At delivery — Document cargo condition
Many times, loads are rejected by receivers due to minor packaging concerns or poor documentation of the load condition, even if the food is safe for consumption. Carriers should train drivers to do the following when they reach the receiver:
Step 4: Between loads — Clean the equipment
The trailer's interior should be cleaned of dirt and debris after each delivery. Between loads, the following are common requirements:
Key to remember: Sanitary transportation of human and animal food boils down to training, clean equipment, reporting unsafe conditions, and documenting the condition at delivery. The STHAF rule is about food safety, not food quality.