Food & beverage
Keeping 64 grocery stores stocked through an Ohio winter
1,900 loads a year for a regional grocery chain on a dedicated reefer lane.
0
missed deliveries
Client
Regional grocery chain, 64 stores
Lane
Columbus, OH to Charlotte, NC
Timeline
Since June 2023
Services
Refrigerated, dedicated lane, temperature logging
The challenge
The chain moves produce, dairy and frozen food from a Columbus consolidation center to its Charlotte distribution center six days a week. Its previous carrier covered the lane with whichever reefer happened to be free, so trailers showed up warm, late, or both.
In the first quarter of 2023 the Charlotte receiving team rejected 41 loads. Every rejection meant empty shelves the next morning and a claim that took months to settle. They needed the same trucks on the same schedule, with proof that the temperature held from door to door.
What we did
We gave the lane its own fleet: 14 reefers and 11 drivers who run nothing else. Every trailer is pre-cooled to 34°F the night before pickup and checked by the driver before the first pallet goes on.
Fixed pickup windows at 4:00 am and 2:00 pm, six days a week
Temperature readings every 15 minutes, with an alert to dispatch if a reading leaves the 32 to 36°F band
Two spare reefers staged in Columbus for breakdowns and holiday volume
The full temperature log attached to every proof of delivery
What changed
1,900
loads a year on one lane
100%
of loads delivered inside the 32 to 36°F band
41 to 0
rejected loads per quarter, before and after
Maria Santos
Logistics manager, regional grocery chain
