The logistics of any kind of freight transportation are challenging enough, what with procuring adequate seasonal capacity, carrier negotiations and booking, rising fuel costs, and periodic supply chain disruptions. Add in the requirements of cold chain logistics for food & beverage, and it goes to an entirely new level.
In addition to the need for temperature-controlled storage and transport to avoid product spoilage and degradation, there are additional regulations to be complied with (FDA, USDA, FSMA, TRU). Related to that, food & beverage logistics also require proper documentation and traceability for food safety audits, and companies need to ensure that trucks and storage facilities meet sanitary and allergen control standards.
Then of course there’s the issue of shorter shelf life and “sell by” dates that nonperishable dry goods never have to deal with. Even refrigerated, food & beverage products only last so long, adding to the urgency of timely shipments and proper storage and handling.
Freight brokers, whose job is facilitating transportation in an efficient manner, play an important role in food & beverage logistics. They work tirelessly to not only ensure that temperature-controlled products are handled properly using specialist carriers, but do so with a sharp eye on cost savings. In fact, optimizing your logistics resources and partnerships is a leading success factor cited by Food Shippers of America (FSA).
In essence, working with a knowledgeable freight broker can help streamline operations, optimize distribution, and ensure hassle-free service to food & beverage logistics operations.
Key Benefits of Working with Freight Brokers in Food & Beverage Logistics
Freight brokers with sector expertise understand more than logistics generalists not only the importance of maintaining the cold chain for perishables, but how to make it happen efficiently on a day in, day out basis.
Expertise in Temperature-Controlled and Perishable Shipments
Wicker Park Logistics, a woman-owned logistics company and WBENC Certified Business, has a strong track record in food & beverage, with access to an extensive network of specialist carriers. These truckers know the particular needs of each individual category, from handling and hauling fresh fruits and vegetables to dairy, meat and poultry, frozen foods, juices, beer/wine/spirits, etc.
Choosing trustworthy food & beverage carriers makes all the difference in the world. According to the Green Climate Fund, 30% of food produced for humans is wasted or lost along the supply chain annually. Through the use of strict protocols and processes and expert personnel, top-rated carriers mitigate the risk of spoilage and contamination through proper handling and strong track-and-trace capabilities.
Compliance with Food Safety Regulations
food & beverage as noted is one of the more highly regulated industries — and for good reason. Having safe consumables in the grocer’s meat and dairy case and glass-door refrigerators is paramount for maintaining public health.
Shippers, carriers, loaders, and receivers of food & beverage must be compliant with all aspects of the Food Safety Modernization Act. In particular, FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation Rule governs how food is transported to prevent contamination, spoilage, and foodborne illness. In addition to maintaining cold chain integrity, FSMA requires businesses to document procedures and maintain records for compliance and audit purposes.
The Food and Drug Administration also has extensive regulations covering safe food transportation, including temperature control, clean and sanitary vehicles, packaging, warehousing, training, and recordkeeping.
Again, a freight broker specializing in food & beverage logistics has strict protocols and standards for vetting carriers in order to ensure compliance with regulatory compliance, proper sanitation, traceability, and documentation.
Cost Savings and Carrier Optimization
By leveraging a large network and through booking substantial volumes, an experienced freight broker can secure competitive rates from food & beverage carriers. They also employ technology to perform dynamic load matching that optimizes capacity and reduces empty miles by leveraging backhaul capacity.
Utilizing consolidated shipments, multimodal solutions, and route optimization are other ways that freight brokers can help food & beverage shippers save on transportation by maximizing efficiency.
Real-Time Tracking and Visibility
Shipment transparency is a critical aspect of maintaining safety in food & beverage logistics. Modern freight brokers provide tracking technology and proactive communication to enhance real-time visibility and status alerts.
Wicker Park’s innovative transportation management system (TMS) provides end-to-end visibility along the entire journey of each shipment. Customized portals provide full carrier integration, allowing transportation managers to track shipments, update delivery times, and optimize capacity.
Predictive analytics can help identify demand surges so shippers can secure capacity in advance, avoiding last-minute shocks from expedited transportation. It can also help optimize trailer space utilization by analyzing past load patterns and cargo dimensions. Multi-stop delivery planning reduces empty miles and boosts efficiency.
Wicker Park Logistics: The Clear Choice for Food & Beverage Transportation
Among the many benefits of outsourcing management and execution of food & beverage logistics to an experienced freight broker like Wicker Park, shippers get the buying power of multiclient volumes, turnkey access to infrastructure and capacity, and better scalability and flexibility.
We have extensive experience in handling temperature-sensitive and high-value food shipments, strong carrier relationships to ensure service reliability, and advanced technology for real-time shipment visibility and compliance tracking. We also provide scalable, customized solutions tailored to each food & beverage manufacturer, distributor, or retailer. To find out more, get a quick quote today.
