Investing in a refrigerated van can have many benefits – if you need to transport perishable items as part of a supply chain, refrigerated vans can allow you to do so without running the risk of spoilage. Refrigerated vans can also be useful if you’re transporting food for a festival, or if you need to prevent stocks of flowers from wilting when being moved. If you’re looking for a refrigerated van for sale, it’s worth, then, considering how they work and where you can look to pick one up.

Refrigerated vehicles, which also include trucks and train carriages, are designed to feature an insulated cargo area; this protects items such as food from going to waste as the result of temperatures going above a safe level. The back of a van is insulated using cladding materials like steel and plastic lining to prevent air from being circulated. Refrigeration units are also fitted to keep the interior of a van at a certain temperature.

Refrigeration units are typically placed behind a driver’s cabin, and have exhaust inlets that allow warm air to be pumped out of a van. Depending on the size of a van, grooves may also be fitted to floors to prevent heat from building up around static boxes and other items. The temperature of a refrigerated van also often be lowered to a frozen level, an approach which is often taken if food is being transported across great distances.

Some methods for insulating cargo against hot weather have been around for a long time, with early wheeled carriages using ice blocks to try to keep their contents from spoiling. Other methods for protecting food during transport have also included curing and drying out, an approach taken for meat. Refrigerated vans have now developed technologies that can withstand long distances, and also use sensors and refrigeration units to ensure that energy isn’t being wasted.

It’s also possible to convert existing vans into refrigerated vehicles, which can involve insulating their insides and installing a refrigeration unit. However, all refrigerated vans should be bought and converted in line with different environmental and health and safety standards; these include ISO 9001:2008 standards for transport, as well as ISO 14001:2004 standards for environmental management systems. The 1976 ATP Agreement developed by the United Nations also specifies how long food can be transported at a safe temperature.

When looking for a refrigerated van, it’s crucial to understand what size and level of refrigeration you need, whether that means finding a van that can can also support freezing, or one that needs to be used for short trips. Look for suppliers that can offer flexible contract hire options, as well as maintenance engineers to repair problems. Suppliers of refrigerated vans should also be able to provide breakdown services and replacement vehicles so that cargo doesn’t become spoiled when on the road.

Author Bio:- RS blogs about car maintenance and logistics. She recommends taking the time to compare the market if you’re looking for a refrigerated van for sale, and that you check that suppliers are fully accredited and insured if you’re renting equipment.