Start with the delivery deadline and the product instruction

Tell dispatch when the shipment can be released and when the receiver needs it. Separately provide the required transport temperature or range in writing. Urgent describes the timetable; refrigerated describes the conditions. Both belong in the booking.

Avoid descriptions such as keep cold without the supplier’s actual requirement. Two products that feel cold to the touch may need different conditions. The supplier should identify the acceptable range and prepare the product for the agreed transportation.

Choose direct cold transport for a reason

A missed replenishment order, a time-critical commercial sample or a replacement food shipment may justify a dedicated movement. Where the deadline allows a planned refrigerated service, ask WTM to compare that option rather than assuming hotshot is necessary for every chilled package.

For illustration, a food business waiting on a sealed replacement consignment can identify the latest receiving time and release the complete order to one dedicated shipment. That is a different requirement from a multi-customer distribution round with several scheduled deliveries.

Match the equipment to the entire load

Give the package count, gross weight and external dimensions. Disclose non-stackable cartons and palletised units, along with loading and unloading arrangements. A refrigeration requirement does not remove the need to plan how the goods enter and leave the vehicle.

State whether all packages share compatible conditions. Do not assume a single refrigerated compartment provides separate frozen and chilled environments. If the load contains different requirements, have dispatch confirm an appropriate arrangement before the order is released.

Keep location evidence separate from temperature evidence

The WTM Customer Portal provides live GPS tracking and available shipment documents. GPS answers where the shipment is. A product-temperature reading or logger record answers a different question. Include any required logger, reading or report in the service request so the expected records are clear.

CFIA guidance identifies suitable transport conditions and, where necessary, temperature-recording instruments as food-conveyance considerations. Use the shipper’s product-specific requirements rather than copying a universal setting from a generic courier article.

Refrigerated hotshot questions

Can a small chilled order justify a hotshot?

Yes. A deadline can make a compact shipment time-critical. WTM matches accepted parcel or pallet loads to the appropriate refrigerated equipment.

Does refrigeration guarantee arrival within a fixed number of hours?

No. Dispatch confirms the actual pickup and delivery commitment using the release time, vehicle position, route and shipment requirements.