Pharmaceutical range
Pharmaceutical cold chain transport (+2 °C to +8 °C)
The range of vaccines, biologics and insulin. Carried with the trailer pre-cooled before loading, two independent probes recording continuously and a temperature report per shipment.
What travels in the +2/+8 °C range?
Biological and thermolabile product whose specification calls for refrigerated storage. In practice this is the bulk of the refrigerated flow of any manufacturer or wholesaler:
- Vaccines, human and veterinary.
- Biologics and biosimilars, including monoclonal antibodies.
- Insulins and pre-filled pens.
- Blood derivatives and plasma products.
- Reagents and culture media shipped alongside the main product.
How is the range held for the whole journey?
Through four measures that act at different moments of the trip, because the risk is not always in the same place either:
- Before loading
- The trailer is pre-cooled to setpoint and checked to have reached it throughout the box. Loading into a trailer at ambient temperature is the single most common cause of a first excursion, and it happens on the dock, not on the road.
- During loading
- Door-open time is kept to a minimum and every opening is logged. That log is what later explains a momentary rise in the graph.
- On the road
- Continuous recording with two independent probes and ATP class FRC equipment, the class with reinforced insulation. Average fleet age is under < 3 years, which matters because insulation degrades with age.
- On delivery
- The record is closed and the report issued with the full trip graph, travelling with the delivery paperwork.
How much real margin is there inside +2/+8 °C?
None that is comfortable, which is why the setpoint is never placed at either end. A six-degree band leaves little room for a long stop, an equipment failure or a wait at the dock, so the unit is set to the middle of the range and the remaining margin is what absorbs the unexpected. That reasoning is exactly why thermal mapping matters: the worst point in the box is not next to the probe, and it is that point which decides whether the product goes out of range.
What happens if the product goes out of range?
It is reported before delivery and handled as a formal deviation. The graph records the start time, the duration and the extreme value, and that information goes to the customer’s quality department to decide on the product. The procedure is set out in temperature excursions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between +2/+8 °C and plain "refrigerated"?
That +2/+8 °C is a closed band with two limits that must be demonstrated, while "refrigerated" is a commercial category with no defined limits. Refrigerated food transport typically runs between 0 °C and +4 °C with wide tolerances; in pharmaceutical transport the range is set by the product specification and leaving it, even briefly, means raising a deviation.
Can +2/+8 °C and +15/+25 °C product travel together?
Not in the same compartment, because those are two incompatible setpoints. In full truck load each trip carries one setpoint, which is the usual arrangement. If a customer needs both temperatures in a single movement, the route is a dual-temperature trailer with a bulkhead, and that is assessed shipment by shipment.
What happens if the cooling unit fails en route?
The driver sees it through the unit alarm and traffic control sees it through real-time tracking, and the incident procedure starts: the customer is informed, the fastest route between roadside repair and transfer to another rig is chosen, and the whole episode is documented with its timestamps. Owning the fleet is what makes a replacement rig possible without depending on a third party.
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.