Candor Expedite Launches Cold Chain Division
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Expedited freight specialist Candor Expedite launched a cold chain division in early May, building the launch around a specially designed pallet that can maintain cargo temperatures for days, the company said.
In partnership with Madrid-based Cool Chain Logistics, Plano, Texas-based Candor has developed a pallet that it said can keep frozen or refrigerated goods at appropriate temperatures for up to nine days and can transport freight that requires up to three temperature settings during shipment.
“I’ve witnessed the challenges shippers face in the frozen and refrigerated market,” Candor CEO Nicole Glenn told Transport Topics on May 15. “The excessive expenditure, along with issues like damaged products and delayed deliveries, is alarming. We’re excited to bring this new, unique technology to the food industry — reducing costs, eliminating claims and offering real-time temperature and location monitoring.
Candor is the sole U.S. company able to use the technology, which was previously only adapted for box-size shipments, Glenn said. The company plans to open seven hub locations for the new division by the end of this year, she added.
Customers can consolidate delivery of dry and perishable goods onto one truck with the pallet, eliminating the need for multiple trucks to transport shipments at different temperatures, Glenn said. The pallets can be double stacked and weigh 350 pounds each when empty, she added.
“Each of the pallets is in its own environment,” she said, adding that when doors are opened on a box truck or refrigerated trailer — by a less-than-truckload carrier for instance — there is no impact on the product being transported, she said.
The pallets are manufactured in Germany, while boxes that are used with them are made in Indianapolis.
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Indianapolis also will be the location of one of Candor’s new cold chain facilities. The others will be in Chicago; Orlando, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle; Los Angeles and an as yet undecided East Coast location, Glenn said. All the pallets already manufactured are housed in Dallas.
Data indicate demand for cold chain service exists. U.S. frozen food sales have risen 34% since 2019, according to the American Frozen Food Institute. Plus, Glenn noted that Candor services many fast-food chains.
The pallets and packaging are reusable and recyclable, helping to reduce waste, said Glenn. If a panel is damaged, Candor can replace the individual panel, she added. Also, no dry ice is required, reducing emissions across the transportation chain.
“Our customers feel like heroes because they now have a way to cut out a large amount of wasted money, energy and packaging while feeling good about meeting environmental goals,” Candor Chief Operating Officer Lance Roberts said.
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