subject: Shipping Medical Materials In Inclement Weather [print this page] Businesses that require the shipment of medical materials have a number of concerns, particularly when the materials need to be shipped in warm weather. Medical materials are among the most important and sensitive items that need to be transported. Heat can compromise or destroy these materials, and therefore it is critical to ensure the safe, stable transport of medical supplies.
There are trucking services available for shipment of such materials, which specialize in methods to keep the materials in a temperature-controlled environment. A few such methods will be addressed here, for the information of businesses that are new to the medical materials market and may not know what to expect in a trucking service and its capabilities.
First and foremost, the materials need to be transported temperature controlled containers. These containers must be insulated to protect the materials from the heat. A service that is specializing in the shipping of medical supplies may be able to help you allocate the containers and help ensure that they are packaged correctly before shipping. Do not be afraid to questions of your delivery service; if they are truly knowledgeable in the arena of transporting medial materials, they should be invaluable to your business. Secondly, these trucking services will require temperature-controlled cargo areas. These areas function to keep the materials at a constant cool to moderate temperature despite the daily heat.
Despite all efforts to keep the materials stable during transport, eventually they will have to be taken out of cargo and transferred to another vehicle or carried to their final destination. The insulated containers are extremely helpful during this time - however, it is up to the carrier to ensure the materials are moved as quickly and efficiently as possible. Even mild temperature fluctuations or heat exposure can compromise the materials. This is where the efficacy of the personnel becomes critical. Most services require that the carrier leave the materials in the cargo area until transportation is imminent, so that it is not placed in a compromising environment.
Handlers of temperature-sensitive medical supplies can never be "too careful", and each parcel should handled with the highest degree of care and importance. Lastly, when investigating a delivery service, always talk to a representative or handler who is capable of answering very detailed questions about their practices. Note what damage-control procedures are also in place in the event something unfortunate does happen to the materials.
