## What Is a Refrigerated Courier?
A refrigerated courier uses temperature-controlled vehicles to transport goods that must remain within a specific temperature range during transit. This includes pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biological specimens, fresh food, frozen goods, and chemical reagents.
The vehicle's refrigeration unit maintains a consistent temperature from collection to delivery, protecting your goods from heat, cold, or fluctuation damage.
## Temperature Ranges
Refrigerated courier vehicles typically operate across these ranges:
- Ambient controlled (15-25°C) — medicines, some chemicals, cosmetics - Chilled (2-8°C) — vaccines, insulin, biologics, fresh food, dairy - Cold (0-5°C) — fresh meat, fish, prepared foods - Frozen (-18°C to -25°C) — frozen food, some biological samples - Deep frozen (-40°C and below) — specialist scientific and pharmaceutical applications
Confirm the exact temperature range you need when booking. Not all refrigerated vehicles cover all ranges.
## GDP Compliance for Pharmaceuticals
Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines require that pharmaceutical products are transported under conditions that maintain their quality and integrity. For temperature-sensitive medicines, this means:
- Validated vehicles — refrigeration units calibrated and validated for the required temperature range - Continuous monitoring — data loggers recording temperature throughout transit - Documentation — temperature records available for audit and provided with delivery - Trained drivers — understanding of cold chain requirements and what to do if temperature excursions occur - Deviation procedures — clear process for handling temperature breaches
If you ship pharmaceuticals, ask your courier about their GDP compliance documentation.
## Food Safety Standards
Food transport must comply with food hygiene regulations. Refrigerated courier vehicles for food need:
- HACCP awareness — drivers trained in food safety principles - Clean vehicles — no cross-contamination from previous loads - Temperature records — proof that cold chain was maintained - Allergen separation — no mixing of allergen-containing and allergen-free products
Dedicated vehicles eliminate the cross-contamination risk that shared-network food delivery creates.
## Why Dedicated Refrigerated Courier?
Shared cold chain networks — pallet networks with refrigerated trailers — use hubs. Your goods sit on a loading dock while other pallets are consolidated. Temperature control is only as good as the weakest point in the chain, and hub handling creates risk.
A dedicated refrigerated courier means:
- Your goods stay in the vehicle from collection to delivery - No hub stops or dock exposure - Continuous temperature monitoring throughout - Single driver responsible for the entire journey
## Booking Refrigerated Transport
When booking, provide: the goods type, required temperature range, packaging details, and any compliance requirements (GDP, HACCP). We match you with a calibrated vehicle and provide temperature monitoring data with every delivery.
Book refrigerated courier or call to discuss temperature-controlled requirements.
