The loading dock is the gateway for products in and out of any cold storage facility. A traditional loading dock requires truck drivers to break the security seal and open the truck doors before finishing backing in and docking. If this process isn’t completed in a timely manner, it could damage temperature-sensitive products. It also creates opportunities for theft, tampering and drive approach accidents.

The gold standard for any industry that depends on a strong cold chain is to implement a “drive-through” application at the loading dock. In addition to securing the cold chain, this loading dock solution can prevent product from being tampered with or stolen and helps maintain cold chain integrity, environmental control and security.

A drive-through set-up requires more than just one product; it entails a system of equipment that works together. The core component is a load house which is a modular housing system that combined with a dock shelter, a dock door and a dock leveller forms a stand-alone docking system that can be attached to the building. This allows the trailer to back all the way into the loading dock before the security seals are broken and trailer doors can be opened into the load house – meaning loads are never exposed to outside weather or contaminants and people are kept out of harm’s way on the drive approach.

The other key to a drive-through application is creating a complete environmental seal between the back end of the semi-trailer and the inside of the loading dock. This can be done with loading dock shelters specifically designed for drive-through docks.

Through special design features, these shelters provide tight sealing against trailer sides, across the full width of the trailer top and at the corners, without interfering with trailer doors being opened and closed the trailer has been parked at the dock and secured.

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Image: Placing a load house in front of a building is the key for a drive through-operation and saves costly interior space on the inside.

Regardless of their size or inventory, all cold storage facilities (and supply chains) share some universal challenges, with the first and foremost being cold chain integrity. A cold chain can break down at many different points from point of origin to the consumer. Inconsistent temperature control during shipment, poor temperature control inside the warehouse, and product sitting on an open dock (or in an open trailer) too long are all common scenarios for cold chain disruption. Considering the value of a standard OTR food shipment is between €50,000 and €100,000, with reefer loads going up €1 million (and pharmaceutical loads up to €50 million) any glitch in a cold chain’s integrity can become an immensely expensive mistake.

Employee safety is a concern at all warehouses, whether they are cold storage or dry goods. Loading dock areas are particularly dangerous, accounting for nearly a quarter of all industrial injuries. This isn’t surprising, considering the number of forklifts manoeuvring around towers of pallets and product with a fair amount of foot traffic mixed into such a small area. Dock exteriors are also a dangerous area. There are hundreds of forklift accidents annually due to trailer creep, trailer tip-over or trailers pulling away from the dock prematurely. Tractor trailers are also a major cause of back-over deaths, and the risk isn’t isolated; many international governments are recommending aggressive solutions to address this danger at the dock.

Inside cold storage facilities, large blast freezer doors can be notoriously difficult to open without multiple people. Workers who attempt to open them with unsafe methods – like using a forklift – can damage the door or cause an injury to themselves or others. Multi-storey workspace and storage areas also create risk for fall-related injuries or injuries due to falling product.

Regulatory compliance is another common challenge for cold storage facilities, particularly in the food sector. Cold chain integrity plays a vital role in meeting food safety standards, defined by organisations like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Reputation is a further challenge, linking to all three common problems: cold chain integrity; employee safety; and regulatory compliance. GCCA research has consistently shown the extent to which Cold Chain providers play an integral part in their customers’ food safety regimes and need to see themselves as ‘Brand extenders’. In a table entitled ‘Top Business Trends that will impact the Company’, highest on the list was ‘food safety’ and ‘protecting the brand’. The challenge of regulation and compliance was not far behind.

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