Winter risk is not limited to freezing. Some products can suffer chilling injury at warmer temperatures; the lower limit varies by product and maturity. Do not set one threshold without product specifications.
Find exposed waiting points. Mark overnight loading bays, open vehicles, transfers and store handoffs along the route. Record wait duration and ambient conditions at each point; do not confuse vehicle air temperature with product temperature.
Choose the container, partition and loading arrangement against the product owner's lower transport limit. On a trial run, put a logger near the product and review the coldest point and waiting periods.
Do not assume a refrigerated vehicle has heating mode. Check the vehicle manual and operator settings; use a measurement beside the product to verify the required range throughout transport.
If there is an excursion, give the records to the product owner and decide product use or sale under the approved procedure. Before cold weather begins, update the route, overnight parking and delay-notification plan.
