Co-Founder of Healthy Trailer LLC | Owner of Pam Young & Company, Inc. | Creator FSMA Transportation Compliance Plan | 'Laymen's Speak' Author | Student Of All Things Food Safety | Military Mom
Where to start? That can be THE question that keeps us from beginning projects. “If we did want to start implementing trailer sanitation, where should we start?” A growing number of shippers are concerned about loading unsanitary trailers, but requiring trucking companies to comply seems daunting. When I first started designing the Healthy Trailer LLC machine, I thought the best plan was to use lots of high-pressure nozzles and a strong pump to make sure we could clean anything off the floor, walls, and ceilings of trailers. Oh boy, what a mistake! All I got was a lot of spray, which meant I was spreading contamination instead of removing it. This was the first of many mistakes in building our trailer sanitation system. But we have to start somewhere, don’t we? Our advice? Don’t let the ‘end’ stop you from starting. 👌 Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Have the mindset that revisions are ahead. 📏 Measure your work. Healthy Trailer LLC used ATP and microbial testing, in addition to visual results, to measure whether our system was reducing pathogen risks in trailers. Start with 1 or 2 (customers, trucking companies, facilities), track your progress with them, and then build the program incrementally. 📋 Do an AAR. This stands for' after-action review,’ which is standard military practice to assess mission performance. Once Healthy Trailer LLC got our test results back, we would review which cycle we ran, the exposure time of the UV, the amount of water used, and so on. Then, we would alter one variable, retest, and review This is the method we can all use to get started and get things done! Remember, it’s easier than you think! #healthytrailerclean #safefoodtransportation
