
R 385
Perishable Products Export Control Act, 1983 (Act No. 9 of 1983)RegulationsRegulations relating to the Export of Perishable Products, 2025 - effective July 2025Chapter 7: Certification of Equipment, Handling and Storage Facilities and Modes of TransportPart D: Refrigerated Road Motor Transport (RRMT)33. Requirements for refrigerated road motor transport |
(1) | All RRMT used to transport perishable product intended for export shall be approved annually by the Board and shall, before the loading of any perishable product, be subjected to further selective inspections by a representative of the Board. |
(2) | The following requirements shall apply to all refrigerated road motor transport being that— |
(a) | vehicles shall not be externally or internally damaged and or delaminated in such a manner that the integrity of the insulation of the refrigerated perishable product is affected; |
(b) | insulation shall be appropriate for the transportation of perishable product (adequate thickness and type, dry, undamaged and properly sealed) in order to provide an efficient temperature barrier, and shall be protected by a water vapour barrier (cladding); |
(c) | the refrigeration unit shall have sufficient capacity to maintain the desired temperature of the perishable product; |
(d) | doors shall seal correctly and the closing mechanism shall be in a proper working order; |
(e) | the exterior and interior of the vehicle shall be clean, dry and free from any odours or taints; |
(f) | insulation protective plating shall be properly fitted and adequately sealed; |
(g) | the refrigeration unit shall be clean and there shall be no oil leaks; |
(h) | the cooling unit panels and doors shall be intact; |
(i) | the insulated trailer box shall be fitted with a false bulkhead at the cooling unit end; |
(j) | the vehicle shall be fitted with a permanently mounted temperature recorder; |
(k) | the insulation and refrigeration system shall be designed in such a manner that the desired humidity for the specific perishable product is maintained; |
(l) | the evaporator shall be fitted with drainage that leads the defrosted water to the outside of the RRMT; and |
(m) | the chassis of all motor transport shall bear a valid registration number (VIN/chassis identification number). |
(3) | The following requirements shall apply to temperatures and temperature recording in respect of all refrigerated road motor transport: |
(a) | DAT (in the case of chilled perishable product) and RAT (in the case of deep frozen perishable product) shall be recorded mechanically or electronically, either continuously or at a minimum interval of one temperature recording per hour. |
(b) | Temperature records shall be saved and retained for a period of at least 5 years and made available on request to a representative of the Board. |
(c) | The following requirements shall apply to all temperature recorder and temperature control devices being— |
(i) | an external permanently mounted thermo-couple box shall be fitted; |
(ii) | the lid shall indicate “delivery air temp” – Blue and “return air temp” - Red; and |
(iii) | with regard to the delivery air thermo-couple class type “T” male plug— |
(aa) | it shall be fitted to one end and the sensing part to the other end of the thermocouple wire; |
(bb) | the sensing end of the wire is to be mounted internally in the evaporator “delivery air” stream; |
(cc) | the plug and sensing wire ends are both to be marked in blue; and |
(dd) | the thermo-couple wires shall extend a minimum length of 500mm out of the thermo-couple box; and |
(iv) | with regard to the return air thermo-couple class type “T” male plug— |
(aa) | it shall be fitted to one end and the sensing part to the other end of the thermocouple wire; |
(bb) | the sensing end of the wire is to be mounted internally in the evaporator “return air stream”; |
(cc) | the plug and sensing wire ends shall both be marked in red; and |
(dd) | the thermo-coupled wire with the type “T” male plug fitted to one end and at which the sensing end is mounted internally in the evaporator “return” air stream, the sensor wire to be marked or tagged in red at the plug end; and |
(v) | the temperature recorder and control sensor shall be positioned in the delivery air stream for chilled product. |
(4) | The accuracy of temperature recorder and temperature control devices shall be verified by way of inspections conducted by the Board, and the following procedure shall apply when a cooling unit is inspected: |
(a) | The set point shall be set at 0.0˚C. |
(b) | If the unit is fitted with the option of “delivery” and “return” air control, the system shall, for the purposes of the test, be set to control on DAT, either by way of a manual change-over switch or electronically. |
(c) | The change-over switch shall be clearly marked “chilled” and “frozen”. |
(d) | The unit shall be operational during the inspection and shall have been continuously operational for at least three hours prior to the inspection process being commenced. |
(e) | The DAT shall be maintained between minus 1.0˚C and 2.0˚C for the test period. |
(f) | The RAT shall not exceed 5.0˚C. |
(5) | The following requirements shall apply to all temperature recorders: |
(a) | The temperature recorder shall be kept clean, in perfect working order and shall (where applicable) be supplied with paper at all times. |
(b) | The recorder shall record the temperature, date and time at least once every hour. |
(c) | All printouts from temperature recording apparatus shall be clearly legible. |
(6) | The Board may, unless specifically required to do so by agreement or by law, take international standards into consideration in determining the suitability of equipment and/or facilities. |