Core business

GDP pharmaceutical transport in Spain and Europe

Q: Is CoolCargo GDP certified?

Yes. GDP certification is audited by AENOR and is in force; it is maintained through internal and external audits all year round, alongside ATP-FRC, ISO 9001:2015, TAPA TSR1 audited by Bureau Veritas and Health Registry 40.055673/B. The certificate, with its scope and date, is provided on request as part of the supplier qualification dossier.

CoolCargo is, first and foremost, a pharmaceutical carrier. We move finished medicines, active substances and cosmetics across 20 European countries with qualified vehicles, dual probes and an auditable temperature record for every shipment, in line with Good Distribution Practice.

GDPCertification in force

+2/+8 °CPharmaceutical cold chain

+15/+25 °CControlled room temperature

20Countries served daily

What does CoolCargo carry for the pharmaceutical industry?

Pharmaceutical and healthcare product by road in full truck loads, in three families that need different handling even though they share the same quality system:

Finished medicinal products: Finished goods from manufacturers and wholesale distributors: pharmaceutical specialities, vaccines, biologics and product in either the cold chain or controlled room temperature range. This is the flow directly governed by GDP guidelines 2013/C 343/01.
Active substances (APIs) and raw materials: Active substance and excipient inbound to manufacturing sites, under the dedicated active-substance guidelines (2015/C 95/01) and the documentation requirements of a customer manufacturing under GMP. See API and raw material transport.
Cosmetics and personal care: Dermocosmetics, food supplements and hygiene products, under Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 and, where the manufacturer sets one, with temperature control. See cosmetics and personal care.

Which temperature ranges are covered?

The two standard pharmaceutical ranges, plus frozen when the manufacturer’s specification calls for it. Each has its own page with the operational detail:

Cold chain +2 °C / +8 °CVaccines, biologics, insulins and refrigerated product, with pre-cooling and dual probes.View →Controlled room temperature +15 °C / +25 °CThe most neglected range: an unrefrigerated trailer passes +40 °C in August.View →Frozen pharmaceutical productFrozen goods per specification, with ATP-FRC equipment able to reach −30 °C.View →

What does GDP require from a carrier?

Good Distribution Practice (European Commission guidelines 2013/C 343/01, and in Spain Royal Decree 782/2013) requires medicinal products to stay within the manufacturer’s storage conditions throughout the journey, and requires that to be demonstrable. Chapter 9 of the guideline covers transportation, and Chapter 7 makes the distributor accountable for qualifying anyone it subcontracts. In practice, four obligations:

Use equipment qualified for the declared range, not merely equipment that cools. See how a vehicle is qualified.
Record temperature continuously and keep the records available to the authorisation holder. See temperature records.
Treat any excursion as a deviation: report it, document it and investigate the root cause. See temperature excursions.
Train the staff handling the product and keep that training on record.

How is it evidenced, not just promised?

A pharmaceutical customer does not buy a statement: it buys evidence it can show in its own audit. These four pages are the evidence:

Qualification and thermal mappingWhat is measured, with how many loggers, and what the mapping report proves.View →Supplier auditWhat documentation is issued when a customer qualifies CoolCargo as a carrier.View →Temperature excursionsExactly what happens when temperature leaves the range, and how fast it is reported.View →Temperature recordsA signed report per trip, with door openings and five-year retention.View →

Which pharmaceutical customers is this built for?

Manufacturers: Outbound from the plant to wholesalers or European affiliates. The counterpart is usually quality as well as logistics, and the first thing asked for is the qualification dossier.
Wholesale distributors: Distribution under a wholesale distribution authorisation, where CoolCargo is the Chapter 7 subcontracted carrier and enters the supplier qualification plan.
Pharmaceutical 3PLs: Qualified traction for the 3PL that already runs the warehouse, with fleet and records under its own procedure.
CDMO / CMO and clinical trials: Contract manufacturing and trial logistics, with investigational product and reinforced traceability. See clinical trial transport.

Why full truck load and not groupage?

Because in FTL the rig is dedicated: one trip, one customer, one temperature setpoint and no intermediate handling. Most thermal incidents in pharmaceutical distribution appear during transhipment and dock waiting, not on the road. With no cross-docking there is also no discussion about whether the product travelled next to other goods, or what temperature the dock was at.

Which European corridors are served?

Daily operations across 20 countries, departing from Catalonia on the Mediterranean corridor, less than 50 km from the La Jonquera border. The corridors with the highest pharmaceutical frequency:

Spain – FranceThe busiest corridor, taking in the Lyon pharmaceutical cluster and the Rhône axis.View →Spain – GermanyFrankfurt, the Rhine and the platform network of central and northern Germany.View →Spain – ItalyMilan, Bologna and the industrial north along the Mediterranean axis.View →Spain – BeneluxRotterdam, Antwerp and Venlo, connecting to the major European hubs.View →Spain – SwitzerlandBasel and Zurich, with customs clearance. Basel is the pharmaceutical destination.View →Spain – PolandPoznań, Warsaw and the east, usually with a two-driver crew.View →

Frequently asked questions about pharmaceutical transport

Is CoolCargo GDP certified?

Yes. GDP certification is audited by AENOR and is in force; it is maintained through internal and external audits all year round, alongside ATP-FRC, ISO 9001:2015, TAPA TSR1 audited by Bureau Veritas and Health Registry 40.055673/B. The certificate, with its scope and date, is provided on request as part of the supplier qualification dossier.

What is the difference between ordinary refrigerated transport and GDP transport?

An ordinary reefer cools; GDP transport proves with data that it held the declared range. The practical difference is four things: the vehicle is qualified through thermal mapping rather than merely fitted with a cooling unit, temperature is recorded continuously with verified probes, any departure from range is handled as a formal deviation and reported, and the whole process sits in written procedures the customer can audit.

Can medicinal products and food travel in the same load?

Not in the same trip. Pharmaceutical product moves in dedicated full truck loads, so one rig carries one customer and one setpoint. That is one of the reasons FTL is the natural format for pharmaceutical transport.

How is a temperature excursion reported?

Before delivery, not after. The excursion is recorded with its start time, duration and extreme value reached, passed to the customer so their quality department can decide on the product, and the root cause is investigated within the quality system. The decision on whether the medicine remains fit for use always rests with the Marketing Authorisation Holder, never with the carrier.

Can CoolCargo be audited as a transport supplier?

Yes, and it is routine: GDP requires distributors to qualify their carriers. Quality system procedures, current certificates, thermal mapping reports, probe verification records and the staff training plan are all provided. On-site audits at the Fogars de la Selva base are also welcome.

How long does a quote for a pharmaceutical lane take?

Under 24 working hours. To answer we need origin, destination, temperature range, product type, volume and frequency. Call +34 972 863 031 (Monday to Friday, 09:00–18:00) or email trafico@coolcargo.es.

Need a full truck for pharmaceutical or refrigerated freight?

Tell us origin, destination, temperature range, product type and volume. A dedicated account manager comes back with a firm quote within one working day. If it is urgent, call.

+34 972 863 031 trafico@coolcargo.es