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Frequently asked questions about refrigerated transport
The questions that come up most often when contracting temperature-controlled transport, answered directly.
About the service
What temperatures can a CoolCargo trailer hold?
The refrigeration units run between −30 °C and +30 °C. Trailers are certified to ATP class FRC, which guarantees holding the interior down to −20 °C with +30 °C outside. That covers deep frozen, chilled, fresh and the pharmaceutical ranges of +2/+8 °C and +15/+25 °C.
Can frozen and chilled travel on the same trip?
Yes, with a multi-temperature trailer that splits the box into two independently controlled compartments. Flag it when requesting the quote, as it determines the unit allocated and how the load is arranged.
What is a full truck load (FTL) and when is it worth it?
It is a service where the entire vehicle is dedicated to a single consignment, with no consolidation and no depot leg. It pays from roughly 20 pallets, and whenever the product is sensitive: every transhipment is a door opening and a potential cold-chain break.
How many pallets fit in a refrigerated trailer?
Up to 33 euro pallets of 1.20 × 0.80 m on the floor. With dense product the constraint is usually weight rather than space: at 40 t gross combination weight, payload runs to about 24–25 tonnes.
About transit times and routes
How long does refrigerated transport from Spain to Europe take?
Indicatively, on full loads with a single driver: 24 h to southern France, 24–48 h to central and northern France, northern Italy and Switzerland, 48–72 h to Germany and the Benelux, and 72–96 h to Poland. With a two-driver crew, transit is roughly halved because the vehicle does not stop for rest.
Why can’t it go faster?
Because Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 caps driving at 9 hours a day, extendable to 10 twice a week, requires a 45-minute break after four and a half hours of driving, and 11 hours of daily rest. Any transit promise that ignores those ceilings is a promise that will not be kept.
Can the vehicle be tracked during the trip?
Yes. The whole fleet carries permanent tracking and the traffic desk can report position and status on a consignment at any time. At the close of the job the report covering route, stops and events is sent.
Which destinations are outside the European Union?
Within the 20-country network, Switzerland and Andorra sit outside the EU customs territory and require customs clearance. Switzerland additionally applies the LSVA heavy vehicle charge and prohibits night running for trucks.
About certifications and paperwork
What does ATP-FRC mean?
It is the vehicle classification under the United Nations ATP Agreement. F means mechanically refrigerated, that is, fitted with a unit that generates cold. R means reinforced insulation, with a K coefficient of 0.4 W/m²·K or lower. C is the class, holding the interior between +12 °C and −20 °C with +30 °C outside.
What certifications does CoolCargo hold?
Five, all current: ATP-FRC for the trailers, ISO 9001:2015 quality management, GDP compliance for pharmaceutical distribution, TAPA TSR1 security audited by Bureau Veritas, and Spanish Health Registry 40.055673/B for food transport.
What documentation do I receive after a shipment?
The CMR consignment note signed by the consignee, and the trip temperature report with the continuous dual-probe graph, the door-opening events, the route and a digital signature. The report is emailed automatically at the close of the job and the data is kept for five years.
How long must temperature records be kept?
Regulation (EC) No 37/2005 requires temperature records for quick-frozen food transport to be kept for at least one year. CoolCargo keeps them for five, to cover longer claim periods and audit cycles.
About contracting
How do I request a quote?
By telephone at +34 972 863 031, Monday to Friday 09:00–18:00 CET, or by email at trafico@coolcargo.es. We need origin, destination, set point, commodity type and volume, and dates. You get an answer within one working day.
Does the price include tolls and fuel?
Yes. We quote a firm price per trip covering the actual route, the tolls of the countries crossed, the fuel burn of the refrigeration unit and the legal driving times.
Do you work on contract lanes or spot loads only?
Both. A large part of the operation is regular contracted lanes with recurring customers, with allocated units and frequencies, and spot loads within the usual corridors are also handled.
Need to move temperature-controlled freight?
Tell us origin, destination, set point and volume. A dedicated account manager comes back with a firm quote within one working day. If it is urgent, call.