New training program developed to help reefer truckers meet regulatory requirements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule applies to shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers who transport food in the United States by motor or rail vehicle.    The International Refrigerated Transportation Association has developed a free new training program that it says will help drivers of temperature-controlled trucks meet compliance requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (STF).
   The food safety rule, which was finalized in April 2016, applies to shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers who transport food in the United States by motor or rail vehicle. Training of carrier personnel in sanitary transportation practices and documentation is a key requirement of the rule.
   The newly developed IRTA Driver Training program, is free for members of the International Refrigerated Transportation Association and its partner, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, the IRTA said Aug. 30. The program came into being after the release of the IRTA Refrigerated Best Practices Guide, which provides a detailed overview of best practices for food safety in the temperature-controlled transportation sector.
   IRTA Driver Training includes an online video and training log for carriers to meet regulatory requirements. A 25-minute online video addresses six content areas, including the FDA Sanitary Transportation of Food Rule; sanitary best practices, risk management, training best practices, temperature control and record-keeping.
   “Many carriers are searching for a quality resource to help them comply with the FSMA STF regulation,” Lowell Randel, Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs – Global Cold Chain Alliance, said. “IRTA has taken the lead in developing STF compliance resources including the IRTA Refrigerated Transportation Best Practices Guide released last year.
   “The IRTA Driver Training program is a great complement to the Best Practices Guide and provides an ideal solution that allows carriers to train their entire fleet easily and affordably,” Randel added.
   According to the rule, small businesses other than motor carriers that aren’t also shippers and/or receivers employing fewer than 500 people, must comply with the rule two years after its publication – April 2018 – as do and motor carriers bringing in less than $27.5 million annually. Other businesses were required to comply within one year after the publication of the final rule, which took place this past April.
   Although the IRTA training is free for its members and those of the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses, it is $600 for non-members, with the cost including membership in the IRTA.
   More information about the training program is available on the Global Cold Chain Alliance’s website.