Spring cleaning with TRAVIS
In the world of Agriculture, spring is a busy time for planting and even harvesting (depending on the good). Transport companies have a huge responsibility of taking saplings, bulbs, and seeds to and from farms. The responsibility of ensuring the goods aren’t infected or spoiled during transport is important. To do so, drivers need to clean the inside of their vehicle trailer before carrying agricultural goods to prevent the spread of plant diseases and pests. Plant diseases and pests can quickly spread through transportation and can have devastating effects on crops and overall food safety. Cleaning the trailer helps to remove any potentially harmful substances and reduces the risk of spreading.
The importance of inside cleaning requires a simple yet reliable solution. TRAVIS offers Europe’s LARGEST truck wash network consisting of over a thousand locations. For the season of Spring Cleaning, TRAVIS seeks to make the life of transport companies easier. In this article, you can find more information on how TRAVIS does this as well as a compact list of information on several of Europe’s largest agricultural goods.
A cleaning record
A comprehensive cleaning history is a vital part of a transport company’s hygiene protocols. Not only do hauliers need to find the right truck wash stations that clean trailers according to HACCP standards but you also need them to provide a cleaning document to prove this. Without the proper cleaning history, haulers can risk being rejected at a pickup. At TRAVIS, haulers can choose from hundreds of HACCP and NAO-certified truck wash locations across Europe. All cleaning certificates are also easily accessed and organized within the carrier’s dashboard or they can be printed on-site.
A Look at Agri-transport
Potato Seeds
The governmental safety policies on transporting agricultural goods change based on the country and on the goods transported. Seed Potatoes are one of the many agricultural goods with their own regulations and guidelines. For the Netherlands, these are frequently transported goods since the Netherlands accounts for 60% of the world trade in Potato seed.
Rot, diseases, and other pests are the main three concerns facing potato transport. Heavy Good Vehicles play a crucial role in ensuring that these organisms are not shared across farms or that the potatoes are not infected on route.
The Nederlands Aardappel Organisatie (NAO) also referred to as the Dutch Potato Society ensures the quality of potatoes, and provides services to Dutch potato exporters while offering the knowledge and expertise to support transport companies in achieving the highest standard of quality. Aside from the NAO, the Dutch Food Safety Authority has also set standards on seed potatoes, requiring them to be free from organisms. Transporters can choose to utilize NAO or HACCP truck cleaning stations to ensure that they can pick up and safely transport the potatoes from point A to point B.
Corn Kernels
Corn, like many other types of cereals, is highly sensitive to the absorption of odors. This means they can be easily compromised especially when being transported since trailers can be used for many different goods and residual residue can be present. Gases and other aromas are readily absorbed by the grain. For this reason, truck washing is incredibly important to be carried out immediately before loading to ensure the trailer’s fitness. A cleaning document confirming the cleanliness of the trailer for loading should be provided.
Sugar beet sapling
Europe is the leading producer of sugar beet which accounts for a whooping one-half of global production. Similar to potatoes, onions, and most grains, sugar beets are planted in the Spring and harvested in the fall. In 2019, France, Germany and Poland were estimated to account for 65% of the total sugar beet area and a total number of growers. However, the sugar beet sector has become one of the most highly regulated sectors in agriculture with issues of the environment, food safety, and health issues leading the way. Regardless, the sugar beet market is still as active as ever since Europe still operates as one of the main sugar manufacturers and consumer markets. From a food safety perspective, HACCP plans are heavily utilized similar to potatoes and other agricultural goods. Transport companies should wash their vehicles prior to pick up ensuring the safety and quality of the sugar beet or sugar beet sapling.
Onion Bulbs
Correct timing of planting, as well as proper transport, is crucial for most agricultural goods. For potato seeds and onion bulbs, there is no exception.
Onion bulbs are another agricultural good that requires a particular temperature, gentle handling, and proper ventilation during transport. Without proper transporting the onions can risk sprouting, molding, self-heating or harboring living organisms. Since onions are highly sensitive transport companies are placed with the responsibility of ensuring the protection of these bulbs during transport having to take into consideration all the risks and policies that are involved. Transport companies are responsible to follow a HACCP or cleaning plan that ensures correct trailer conditions and a clean sanitary trailer.
Spring cleaning with TRAVIS
Agriculture transport requires frequent cleaning and the organization of these cleaning records. This can easily become a tedious and disorganized process. With TRAVIS, companies can find all their washing history including cleaning documents and MSDS forms in their dashboard for easy retrieval and review. With Europe’s largest truck washing network at your disposal, you can find a nearby cleaning location that suits your needs.
Start looking for a truck wash on route at: https://www.yourtravis.com/en/map
