May 15, 2020
Keeping Food On the Road - and the Table
As the world works to contain the spread of COVID-19 and begin the process to heal and recover, helping maintain the critical food supply through the safe transport of perishable food is central to our mission. It’s also our passion.
The sheer magnitude of the pandemic has put the global cold chain under enormous strain. This includes a set of new challenges for ensuring a safe, reliable cold chain to transport food; the unexpected and intense impact of consumer demands on groceries; the large scale redeployment of food supply from restaurants and the food service industry to food retail; and social distancing complexity on logistics operations.
Protecting precious cargo
The perishable goods our customers transport for consumers require precise temperature control. Even the slightest variance in temperature can cause food to spoil prematurely, an unacceptable scenario in any situation. Even more so now.
Transport refrigeration technologies offered by Thermo King are diligently running on the front lines to maintain the proper temperature to keep food safe while in transport – all the way from the farm to the consumer’s home.
In addition to temperature control solutions, our customers are leveraging ConnectedSuiteTM telematics for intelligence on the condition of refrigeration equipment in constant motion. Using real-time data to ensure units are running properly, fleet managers are keeping trucks on the road and food safe, while ensuring that required temperature control parameters are maintained throughout transit.
Preventing breaks in the chain
In the event that equipment needs repairs or preventative service, our vast network of dealers is responding to the urgent service call. With highly trained and committed technicians at the ready, our network is servicing equipment and putting customers back on the road quickly.
When service with a smile isn’t enough, Thermo King dealers are finding ways they can make the extra effort to reduce the burden for truck drivers on the front lines. One example is from Thermo King dealer CSTK, which is offering hygiene and rest stations, and sanitizing services as drivers wait.
Serving a growing need
According to our We Move Food partner, Feeding America, the pandemic has generated a 70 percent increase in demand on food banks and emergency food assistance, with 40 percent of people relying on these community-based resources for the first time.
In Lynn Haven, Florida, our Trane team saw the local need for food support first-hand, and we partnered with them to answer the call. In the last 30 days, the team hosted two drive-thru food pantries that served more than 80,000 pounds of food to 6,000 people facing food shortages.
Additionally, several of our Thermo King dealers answered an urgent call from food banks across the United States by providing temporary refrigerated trailers to increase their ability to accept and store even more fresh food, ultimately helping these organizations serve more people.
That is good for everyone.
