International transport company VCHD Cargo has invested in expanding its fleet with vehicles for transporting pharmaceutical products in accordance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) principles. It has purchased tractor units and trailers specifically designed for the transport of medicines and high-security shipments, with a total value of CZK 20 million. The company has also successfully completed a repeat GDP Pharma audit.
The transport of pharmaceutical products is one of the most sensitive and strictly regulated areas of logistics. Its specifics stem from the nature of the goods being transported, which may be sensitive to temperature, light, humidity, or mechanical damage. Good Distribution Practice sets rules for the handling, storage, and transport of medicines to ensure their quality and integrity throughout the logistics process. Medicines and vaccines must be transported at a specific temperature, usually between 2 and 8 °C (in refrigerated mode) or 15 and 25 °C (at controlled room temperature). Authorization for their transport is linked to special vehicle technology.
VCHD Cargo has therefore expanded its fleet with seven Eur VI emission standard long-distance trucks and ten refrigerated semi-trailers designed for the transport of pharmaceuticals. These three-axle refrigerated semi-trailers have a capacity of 66 Euro pallets and are equipped with a refrigeration unit that covers a temperature range from minus 20 to plus 20 degrees. They exceed the standard EN 12642 XL safety certificate and are specified for the transport of medicines, including the Pharmaserv pharmaceutical certificate, which proves that the combination of the vehicle and the refrigeration unit meets the high requirements of this industry. The purchased trailers also meet the conditions for TAPA security standards and are equipped with an integrated telematics system, which helps to meet the requirements of good distribution practice (GDP).
“Telematics continuously monitors not only the set temperature on the refrigeration unit, but also the current temperature inside the cargo space, provides security information – opening and closing of the trailer doors and activation of the lock – and shows the location of the vehicle in real time. All this information is visible to our dispatch center online and can be shared with our customer in accordance with GDP,” explains Petr Kozel, CEO and Chairman of the Board of VCHD Cargo a.s. The trailers are equipped with the highest possible anti-theft security with multi-stage locking of the trailer doors. These lock automatically when closed and can only be reopened when the dispatch center releases the door opening via telematics and the driver enters the generated security code.
“Thanks to these technologies, we are able to offer the pharmaceutical industry fully transparent and secure transport in accordance with European legislation. Our priority is quality and the trust our customers place in us. Since last year, our many years of experience in transport across Europe and high-quality transport services have also been available to customers in the pharmaceutical industry, and based on positive feedback, we are now further expanding our services for this segment,” says Petr Kozel.
Companies transporting pharmaceuticals must be certified and regularly audited. VCHD Cargo recently successfully passed GDP Pharma recertification, which authorizes it to transport shipments from the pharmaceutical industry and other segments of the life sciences sector.