A&M Cold Storage & Trailer Leasing values our strategic partnerships and would like to thank Shenandoah Growers for their kind words and continued business!

“At Shenandoah Growers we are passionate about food that’s organic, sustainable, affordable and “That’s Tasty!” In our endeavor to achieve our core mission it is imperative that we have strategic partners that provide the skill and technology needed to be best in class. A&M Trailer is that partner. They have proven to be responsive, available and reliable. We are appreciative for their partnership and expertise.”  –  Jeffrey W Saunders, Vice President of National Logistics 

Shenandoah Growers Fleet Profile:

• Full Service Lease:  Quantity 30
• Trailers:  53’ Vanguard, Multi-Temp Trailers
• Refrigeration Units:  Carrier Vector 8600 Hybrid Reefer Machines
• Reefer Telematics:  Carrier LYNX Fleet (Esolutions)
• Energy Saving Features:  Aerodynamic Trailer Skirts, Tire Inflation System, Hybrid Reefer Unit, Solar Panels, Telematics, Robust Insulation Package

Temperature control in the vaccine cold chain process is of the utmost importance.  Getting the vaccine from the manufacturer to clinics and health care centers can be daunting.  Finding resources to help get vaccines from point A to point B are becoming very limited.  There are cold boxes, refrigerators, freezers, cold rooms, carriers, and other methodologies to help get the job done.

One often overlooked option is electric ground level refrigerated containers or refrigerated sea containers.  They come in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft lengths (8ft wide) and can control temps ranging from -31F (-35C) to 80F (26C) plus or minus 1 degree F.  Refrigerated containers (also referred to as freezer containers, refrigerated pods, freezer pods, cold pods, walk-in coolers, and walk-in freezers) offer ample refrigerated storage space for existing supplies plus additional medicines and vaccines. The refrigeration units (reefers) can be observed remotely, with phone or laptop, by a GPS telematics device that monitors cargo temperature and health of the reefer unit. Portable refrigerated containers offer increased freezer storage capacity to a healthcare facility and can reduce the need to move product multiple times.

Refrigerated trailers (Reefers, Reefer Trailers) are also used to move large quantities of temperature-controlled cargo from location to location. There are diesel powered trailers for over the road use and electric powered dock level refrigerated trailers for on-site cold storage applications. Hybrid trailers (diesel and electric) can provide a dual source of power for emergency back-up so you don’t lose the precious cargo inside. Multi-temp trailers are available if more than one temperature-controlled compartment is needed. Reefer trailers can be equipped with GPS remote monitoring devices to track location and record and monitor cargo temperature, fuel levels, and mechanical health.

Make sure you have the full arsenal of distribution and cold storage methods at your disposal. For more information contact A&M Cold Storage and Trailer Leasing 855-226-3685. www.amcstorage.com

Covid-19 vaccine distribution article by Carrier Transicold.

Covid-19 Storage, Vaccine Cold Chain

By harnessing the power of the sun to charge transport refrigeration unit batteries (TRU’s), customers can save fuel and down time associated to TRU no starts and maintain peak performance in an environmentally sustainable way.

Developed specifically to maintain the TRU’s state of charge, the new breed of flexible solar panels are easily installed at the factory on new trailers and truck bodies or can be retrofitted on the roof of existing equipment. While daylight or UV waves strike the panels, they will continuously charge the TRU batteries ensuring they have ample power for system starts and help to avoid issues and costs associated with a weak or dead battery.

Today’s modern refrigerated fleet has increased demands on charging systems with such power hungry addons as telematics devices, liftgates, interior lights and other accessories. This combined with new regulations limiting the amount of time you can have equipment idling, has created a power shortage which at times is solved by tapping into the refrigeration unit which burns more fuel and drives up maintenance costs.

Although the power draw from these accessories can be anything from a few milliamps to amps per hour, the combined effect continues to draw power from the unit even when the TRU is not running causing the battery to lose the power needed to start the engine. The result is a costly emergency call out for battery charging or replacement many times prematurely.

Properly sized solar panels can help offset the power draw from these electrical devices while the TRU is not running and significantly reduce ERS charges related to the battery’s state of charge. This would also conserve fuel as there would not be a need to run the TRU just to charge the battery helping to lower cost.

A&M is installing solar panels on all of our new trailers to save time and money by avoiding breakdowns due to low battery state of charge, save fuel by eliminating startups just to charge the battery and lower wear on engine components such as starters and alternators.

Call us to speak to one of our representatives to see how we can help you to add some “green” to your fleet with A&M Trailer Leasing.

Despite the explosive growth and evolution the telematics industry has gone through over the last few years, many fleets are not using the software to its full potential. Many organizations are still using their telematics software solely as a GPS unit for vehicle tracking and are missing out on key data points by not integrating these systems with other parts of their business. The use of this data across the organization can arm other department heads with insights to help make better business decisions.

As the technology improves so does the analytics within these programs which can support business growth. This data can show important information on vehicle safety and condition, driver behavior, traffic delays and more. Measurement of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and total cost of ownership of the vehicles fleetwide is important with the automated collection of data being more reliable and allowing you to set more specific fleet goals.

This data mining supplies organizations with the information needed to reveal patterns and trends, and with the help of machine learning, can take organizations one step further. Using Machine to Machine Learning (M2M), the data collected can be used to build algorithms to make predictions based on historical information. In years past, companies would hire someone to sort through all the data you gathered manually while today this is all done through an automated process.

Another important area this data can be used if for cold chain compliance. The enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food were targeted with advancing the FDA’s efforts to protect foods from farm to table by keeping them safe from contamination during transportation. This shift in focus from responding to foodborne illness to preventing it is a dramatic change based on the realization that preventable foodborne illness is both a significant public health problem and a threat to the economic well-being of the food system. Use of a Telematics system gives you the capability of real time temperature compliance monitoring and the ability to receive actionable alerts for any deviations to the shipper’s temperature protocols as well as satisfy the record keeping provisions without having to touch the unit saving both time and money.

Telematics can be the instrument to supply the data required by todays modern organization. It is no longer effective to think of your fleet and primary business as separate entities and using Telematics to gather this data for you eliminates manual processes to save time and improve accuracy making it easier to share with others in your organization enabling them to make better informed decisions by seeing the big picture.

Refrigerated containers, also known as reefer containers, are a fantastic cost effective way to expand your warehouse. They are electric powered temperature controlled containers that can be delivered to your site.  The most common sizes are 20′ and 40′ in length and they are usually about 8′ wide and 8.5′ tall.  Whether you are remodeling, moving your business, have a short term need, or looking for long term extra warehouse space…refrigerated containers could be your best option.

Refrigerated containers are a nice alternative to diesel powered refrigerated trailers.  The 20′ reefer containers can operate on single phase electric and the 40′ units usually operate on 3 phase.  They normally sit on the ground level and have swing doors but can also be adjusted for dock height applications by adding a chassis or even dropped right inside your warehouse in some cases.  They have a temperature range of -30 degrees F to 80 degrees F and are used for frozen items, fresh produce, or just temperature sensitive items.

Electric powered containers will save you the hassle of refueling a diesel powered trailer and the cost savings could be huge if your application is a long term requirement.  You can save up to $1,000 per month on fuel costs and usage fees and you don’t have to refuel every few days.  One reason customers might prefer a diesel powered refrigerated trailer would be in case the power goes out.  We have found in most cases power gets restored in just a few hours which is long before the temperature inside a weather tight unit will drop below a level which jeopardizes your inventory.  The most common reason we get service calls for any of our units is when a customer mistakenly runs out of diesel fuel.  The cost saving benefits usually outweigh the limitations.  If you don’t have the proper electric service on site you can often recoup the cost of having an electrician coming out to set it up within a month or two of rental or lease.

A & M cold Storage offers refrigerated containers that are clean, efficient, eco-friendly, cost effective and weather tight.  We provide short term rental, long term lease, and have reefer containers for sale.  We can provide service and maintenance for your unit and have 24 hour emergency service if needed in most cases.  We have a large rental service area nationwide and can service most of the country.  We have provided containers to small businesses as well as some of the largest organizations in the country such as Walmart.

Refrigerated containers can be used in many different industries and applications like food service, events and festivals, medical and pharmaceutical, aerospace and composite material, chemical and manufacturing, etc.  If you need cold storage on site reefer containers are a great solution.  These units can also go by the name walk in cooler, walk in freezer, or refrigerated shipping container.  The temperatures can easily be adjusted from the outside key pad and have a variety of settings for your specific application.

If you would like a free quote just click HERE!  Thanks for reading…we hope this was helpful.