For the past century, significant percentages of spoilage and loss during food transport was an accepted norm.

While frozen and refrigerated foods would seem to be the most vulnerable to the vagaries of distribution, surprisingly, produce-in-transit experiences a 12 percent rate of loss versus 6.25% of seafood and meat—almost twice as much.

But those numbers are improving, and in large part due to the coordinated efforts of independent logistics providers that are increasingly being engaged in the Food Industry’s supply chain. While dedicated shipping partners have long been a cog in the food distribution wheel, many are now distinguishing themselves as experts in the realm, often rivaling or surpassing the efficiency ratings of some of the nation’s leading food companies’ own fleets.

According to the National Resources Defense Council, one of the biggest mistakes food shippers make is using refrigerated vehicles to bring products to temperature during transportation, rather than pre-chilling the items. Packaging experts warn that items in the center of a room-temperature carton or pallet placed in a refrigerated container may take up to four days to chill to the proper temperature, shortening shelf life or resulting in spoilage.

The chief enemy to produce and non-refrigerated foods are inconsistencies in temperature, both high and low, and exposure to the elements as pallets experience extended waits on tarmacs, docks or warehouse floors.

Shipping partners, such as Dupré Logistics, with advanced experience in food transport are able to provide their clients with strategic packing advice, diminishing instances of “one rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel” syndrome as well as product being crushed in transit. With this degree of oversight, shortages and damages are greatly reduced. Additionally, guidelines as how to stage product at point of pick-up results in safer, balanced truckloads. Consequently, in addition to reducing loading times by 25% – 30%, trucks are far more likely to pass highway inspections and meet weight requirements, eliminating the additional expense of transit fines.

With margins so precipitously tight, one smartly-packed truck alone can measurably improve a vendors’ profit. Multiply that number by the size of the fleet in transit and 50 or more weeks per year, and the effect on the bottom line can be extraordinary.

There’s so much more to consider than 18 wheels and a cool trailer when shipping perishable cargo. By delegating logistics to a dedicated shipping partner, food distributors can reduce costs, loss and transport time; fatten their margins and improve customer satisfaction on the back-end.