5 arguments in favour of road transport of meds
There are several modes of transport we can choose from when planning transport of pharmaceutical products. In this article we present reasons why meds should be shipped by means of road transport. Why? You will find 5 arguments in favour of this mode of transport below.
1. Full control over transport and conditions in the cargo space
Transport in controlled temperature requires specific transport conditions to be satisfied. Road transport of meds facilitates control and monitoring of such conditions by clients. User-friendly telematic systems are a popular and effective solution, willingly chosen by carriers. They allow to control temperature and to trace the shipment online. At each stage, we are fully aware what is going on with the goods we transport. GPS systems are capable of generating links, provided on client’s request, who thus can check where their goods are in a given moment and what temperature is in the cargo space.
2. Transport flexibility
Drug manufacturers have warehouses located in different corners of the world. Some warehouses may be situated in hard-to-reach places, distant from popular transport hubs. Nevertheless, the goods must reach their recipients. The advantage of road transport is its availability in numerous locations and the fact that it is possible to collect goods even from locations with difficult access.
Furthermore, refrigerated semi-trailers can be in different types – some of them are bi-thermo cold rooms, which allow to load goods requiring two different transport temperatures on one truck (in one part of the cold room there are goods requiring temperature +50C, and in the other part – goods requiring transport temperature of +200C). Another type are double deck semi-trailers – we can transport not just 33 pallets, like in a regular cold room, but as many as 66 pallets. These solutions reduce costs and shorten delivery times, because during one transport we can collect goods requiring two different temperatures or take more pallets than a conventional refrigerated truck.
3. State-of-the-art systems protecting goods against theft and intervention of third parties
Transport of pharmaceuticals is classified as transport of high value goods. This type of transport is particularly attractive for thieves. With the importance and value of the cargo in mind, carriers invest in the most advanced solutions that guarantee safe transport. Such solutions include the following:
- GPRS systems – they allow to trace vehicles during transport, to set unauthorised door opened alerts, as well as they have the option of setting a virtual corridor of movement, which generates an alert when the vehicle departs from the designated route,
- electronic locks protecting cold room doors against unauthorised access of third parties – they can be opened or closed only from the forwarder’s panel
- mechanical SBS locks, securing cold room doors
- panic buttons in driver’s cabins.
A good practice applied by carriers are drivers stopping exclusively on safe, approved car parks.
4. Door-to-door transport
Each subsequent reloading of the goods is associated with the risk of a negative effect of the surrounding temperature on the goods. Road transport of pharmaceuticals minimises the number of reloading stops, which are sensitive moments in the supply chain. This type of transport guarantees that the goods will be transported from the door of one warehouse to the door of another, thanks to which the goods are in constant temperature conditions over the entire route. Furthermore, goods can be collected even from small warehouses and delivered to recipients which have distribution centres in locations inaccessible to other modes of transport.
5. Entrusting transport to a qualified carrier
Transport of meds requires the Good Distribution Practice certificate, which in turn is connected with the need to develop, implement, and apply a number of quality-related standards and guidelines. Forwarders and drivers who work in a certified transport company have relevant qualifications and training. Furthermore, before getting involved in the pharmaceutical transport process, the carrier undergoes qualifications and audits carried out by clients. All these factors help to make sure that the transported goods are in good hands – from loading to unloading the goods are handled by audited, knowledgeable, and trained individuals, so we can be certain the transport services will be provided well.
If these arguments convince you to choose road transport as a good option for shipping your pharmaceuticals, our solutions may prove appropriate for you. We have 120 refrigerated trucks fully adapted to pharmaceutical transport – our fleet includes double-deck and bi-thero refrigerated trucks. Pharmaceuticals must be often delivered to countries which are not particularly popular amongst carriers. We are experienced in transporting goods to all EU states, but also to selected countries in East Central Asia, Eastern Europe. We are not afraid of new directions – we provide transport services to selected countries of North Africa. Demanding types of transport, and pharmaceutical transport can be definitely classified as such, require appropriate qualifications – in our company these tasks are carried out by trained and experienced forwarding agents, hence the transport services we provide are of the highest standards. The GPS system supporting our vehicles allows to generate links – our clients can control what is going on with their goods at each stage of transport. Safety of shipments entrusted to us is our top priority – hence we regularly instruct our drivers on GDP and crisis situations. If our services correspond to your transport needs – contact us, we will be happy to answer all questions and present our offer.
