When a shipper-carrier agreement has been established, the carrier is responsible for the following functions as applicable under the agreement:
1) The carrier must ensure that vehicles and transportation equipment meet the shipper’s specifications and are otherwise appropriate to prevent the food from becoming unsafe during the transportation operation. (21 CFR 1.908(e)(1))
2) The carrier must, once the transportation operation is complete and if requested by the receiver, provide the operating temperature specified by the shipper, as discussed in Section V. B. 2, and, if requested by the shipper or receiver, demonstrate that it has maintained temperature conditions during the transportation operation consistent with the operating temperature. The demonstration may be accomplished by any appropriate means agreeable to the carrier and shipper, such as the carrier presenting measurements of the ambient temperature upon loading and unloading or time/temperature data taken during the shipment. (21 CFR 1.908(e)(2))
3) Before offering a vehicle or transportation equipment with an auxiliary refrigeration unit for use for the transportation of food that requires temperature control for safety under the conditions of the shipment during transportation, the carrier must pre-cool each mechanically refrigerated cold storage compartment as specified by the shipper, as discussed in Section V. B. 2. (21 CFR 1.908(e)(3))
4) If requested by the shipper, a carrier that offers a bulk vehicle for food transportation must provide information to the shipper that identifies the previous cargo transported in the vehicle. (21 CFR 1.908(e)(4))
5) If requested by the shipper, a carrier that offers a bulk vehicle for food transportation must provide information to the shipper that describes the most recent cleaning of the bulk vehicle. (21 CFR 1.908(e)(5))
6) A carrier must develop and implement written procedures subject to the records requirements discussed in Section VII that:
• Specify practices for cleaning, sanitizing if necessary, and inspecting vehicles and transportation equipment that the carrier provides for use in the transportation of food to maintain the vehicles and the transportation equipment in appropriate sanitary condition as required by 21 CFR 1.906(b);
• Describe how it will comply with the provisions for temperature control in 21 CFR 1.908(e)(2), and;
• Describe how it will comply with the provisions for the use of bulk vehicles in 21 CFR 1.908(e)(4) and (5). (21 CFR 1.908(e)(6))
