Depending upon the type of food you ship, you would have one or both of the following responsibilities:
• Unless you take other measures as allowed by 21 CFR 1.908(b)(3) to ensure that vehicles and equipment used in your transportation operations are in appropriate sanitary condition for the transportation of the food, you must specify to the carrier and, when necessary, the loader, in writing, all necessary sanitary specifications for the carrier’s vehicle and transportation equipment to achieve this purpose, including any specific design specifications and cleaning procedures. A one-time notification is sufficient unless the design requirements and cleaning procedures required for sanitary transport change based upon the type of food being transported, in which case you must notify the carrier in writing before the shipment. (21 CFR 1.908(b)(1))
• In addition, if you ship food that requires temperature control for safety under the conditions of shipment, unless you take other measures as allowed by 21 CFR 1.908(b)(5) to ensure that adequate temperature control is provided during transportation of the food, you must specify in writing to the carrier, except a carrier who transports the food in a thermally insulated tank, and, when necessary, the loader, an operating temperature for the transportation operation including, if necessary, the pre-cooling phase. A one-time notification is sufficient unless a factor, e.g., the conditions of shipment, changes, necessitating a change in the operating temperature, in which case you must so notify the carrier in writing before the shipment. The information you submit to the carrier is subject to the records requirements discussed in Section VII. (21 CFR 1.908(b)(2))
