Are you selling things online? Then you need to ship packages all year round. Shipping can’t stop in the winter just because freezing temperatures might pose a risk to your freight. Therefore you need to know how to protect packages shipping in cold weather.
You need to pack your shipments so the contents can withstand freezing temperatures. That means using the appropriate insulation material. It can also mean including heat packs in your packages or using temperature-controlled shipping options. Here’s what you need to do to protect packages shipping in cold weather.
Here are the 4 Tips To Protect Packages Shipping In Cold Weather
1. Use Appropriate Insulation
The right insulation can block cold weather conditions out, and keep your package contents warm (or at least above freezing). Styrofoam is the most common insulating material used to keep packages from freezing. You can use styrofoam panels to insulate a cardboard, plastic, or wooden shipping crate. You can also use an insulating box liner or thermal bubble wrap to insulate your package contents. Whatever insulating material you choose, make sure it surrounds your temperature-sensitive package contents completely.
2. Keep Temperature-Sensitive Shipments Warm
Another important way to Protect Packages Shipping In Cold Weather is to keep Temperature-sensitive shipments warm. You have a few options for keeping your temperature-sensitive packages warm. One of the most popular is to insert a heat pack into the package. Heat packs are perfect for shipping things that need to stay warm, like live plants and animals.
If you’re going to use a heat pack, insert it inside the insulating material so it can keep your package contents nice and toasty throughout transit. Heat packs last about 40 hours, so that’s how long you have before the cold might start to creep in. Make sure you follow the instructions for how to use your heat pack carefully.
Of course, heat packs aren’t your only option for keeping packages within a specific temperature range during transit, and they may not even be appropriate for shipping items that need to stay cool (but not frozen). To keep items on the cooler side, talk to your carrier about temperature-controlled shipping. A refrigerated truck won’t allow your cargo to freeze, but it will keep it cold. Your carrier may also offer heated shipping options to keep packages warm in transit.
3. Use Temperature Indicators
The trouble with shipping items in the winter is that you can’t always tell if they’ve been frozen in transit or not. Sometimes, things can freeze and then thaw while still moving through the supply chain. Other things, like coffee beans or electronics, might freeze but you wouldn’t be able to tell because the texture remains the same.
That doesn’t mean that those things aren’t vulnerable to freezing damage. To be on the safe side, it’s a good idea to use temperature indicators in your packages so that the recipient can be sure that the package contents didn’t fall below freezing in transit. Temperature indicators change colors to indicate when a package has been exposed to below-freezing temps and may have sustained freezing damage.
4. Ship Freeze-Prone Packages Fast
Whenever you’re shipping items that are sensitive to weather conditions, you should use the fastest shipping option available. Because heat packs only last about 40 hours, you have less than two days to get your packages to their destination. Even if you’re just relying on insulation to keep your package contents from freezing, you should aim to get them to their recipients as fast as you can.
That’s because, the longer your packages stay on the supply chain, the longer they’re at risk for getting too cold and freezing. The faster they reach their destinations, the sooner your customers can open them and get the contents into the fridge or into other appropriate conditions. Longer shipping times mean that packages are at a higher risk of being delayed, which can compromise their integrity in extreme weather conditions. A faster shipping option means that even if your package is delayed, it still has a chance to get to the recipient unfrozen.
Always choose overnight shipping if available for shipping freeze-prone packages in the winter. If your carrier doesn’t offer overnight shipping, consider choosing another carrier that does. As a last resort, you can choose two-day shipping for your temperature-sensitive packages, but it’s not recommended.
When you’re shipping temperature-sensitive goods in wintery weather conditions, you need to make sure your packages don’t freeze in transit. Freezing temperatures can compromise the integrity of many goods, leaving them damaged and, in many cases, useless. Don’t put your customers’ satisfaction at risk. Protect your company’s reputation and keep your customers happy – make the right freeze protection choices for shipping your goods in the winter.
