First lets look at the principle:-
A vehicle backs up to the loading and is sealed to the building before either the loading bay door or trailer door is opened.
Once the vehicle is docked the loading bay door is opened then the trailer door is opened, therefore preventing exposure to the outside elements and in theory maintaining the temperature both in the building and the trailer.
Now let us consider what happens in reality with an empty trailer:-
The empty trailer is collected from a parking bay across the yard and parked onto the loading bay where it is plugged in to start chilling.
Within a few minutes the doors are opened on the trailer and loading bay for loading to commence.
The temperature in the trailer is still higher than the building so as the trailer gets loaded it forces the warm air from the trailer into the building through displacement.
The colder product itself is what helps bring the trailer temperature right down.
Now let us consider what happens in reality with a full trailer:-
The trailer has spent several hours travelling to site, with the temperature slowly creeping up (trailers on diesel power alone are unable to fully maintain their temperature for several hours).
The trailer is docked as before for unloading however the product is now warmer than the building's temperature, therefore bringing unwanted heat into the building.
Finally let us consider the praticality of opening trailer doors from inside the building:-
The first consideration is space - to allow barn doors to be opened, held in position whilst still allowing access to control panels.
You will be unable to use dock pads and therefore there will still be a gap around the door hinges, allow external air to enter the building.
The second consideration is damage - the inside edges of the doors will protrude slightly into the opening of the vehicle as they can not be fully folded back. This will increase the risk of damage to them from MHE and pallets.
Conclusion
Whilst the theory of an unbroken cold chain is great in reality it doesn't work. Furthermore if the trailer has roller shutters the same result can be achieved on a standard loading bay without the need for a stepped dock.
If you want to maintain temperature segregation then consider fitting Arwus air separation units to your loading bays - whilst they cannot tackle warm product entering the building, they prevent warm air entering through displacement as well as preventing any other external entering due to imperfect seals.
Before you make any decisions on your new loading bays, give us a call to discuss all of the options available on the market not just a limited range provided by most. We work with manufacturers and suppliers across Europe to find the right products for all types of applications.
#Unbroken Cold Chain, #Loading Bay, #Temperature Control.
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