Questions? Call us at

(800) 697-4477
Contact Us | Track Shipment | white blueship vector smart object logo Login

What are you looking for?

Explore our services and discover how we can help you achieve your goals

Contact Us Get a Quote

How to Ship Strawberries

Key Takeaways

  • Thermal Precision: Maintaining a constant temperature of 32°F to 34°F is non-negotiable to prevent fungal growth and rapid respiration.

  • Time-Critical Transit: Strawberries are highly perishable; every hour outside of optimal conditions reduces shelf life by nearly a full day.

  • Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) standards ensures sanitary transport and continuous digital temperature logging.

Get Your Free Quote
Freight rate calculator
Shipping option
LTL shipping is used for small freight or when the items don't require the use of an entire trailer. Your freight is combined with other shipments to fill an entire trailer. It is ideal for shipments under 15,000 pounds.
Full truckload is used when shippers have enough items to fill an entire truck or they want their shipment in a trailer all by itself.
Pickup/delivery information
Shipment information
Pickup/delivery information
Shipment information

limit of 70 characters

icons white shippers
7500+ Daily Shippers
icons white carriers
23,000+ Vetted Carriers
icons white offices
8 U.S. & Mexico Offices
icons white shipments
1M+ Shipments Managed
  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
  • Transport Topics 2025 Top Freight Brokerage Firm award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • FreightWaves FreightTech 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • Inbound Logistics Green Partner 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • Transport Topics Top 100 Logistics Company 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • SmartWay Partner 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • Food Logistics Rockstars of the Supply Chain 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • Great Supply Chain Partner 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • Florida Top 3PL 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • SupplyChainBrain 100 Great Supply Chain Partners 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics
  • EcoVadis Bronze Sustainability Rating 2025 awarded to BlueGrace Logistics
  • Hispanic Business Enterprise 2025 certification awarded to BlueGrace Logistics
  • Women in Supply Chain 2025 award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizing leadership at BlueGrace Logistics
  • Logistics Management Quest for Quality 2025 award received by BlueGrace Logistics

Get A Free Reefer Freight Quote

Around 94% of households consume strawberries regularly. This sweet and somewhat sour scarlet fruit is an essential and accessible healthy snack. However, the journey of these delectable fruits from farm to table can be a logistical puzzle due to their exacting storage demands. Without the right logistics partner, the fate of your strawberry shipment hangs in the balance, risking delays or even spoilage.

BlueGrace is a trusted and renowned shipment partner for many produce suppliers, offering reefer shipping services for strawberries at competitive rates. Coupled with BlueGrace, you can utilize our temperature-controlled reefers to ensure the preservation of your strawberries at the optimal temperature for quality and on-time delivery.

Get a Freight Quote
Fresh strawberries in a green crate for produce shipping and logistics
Temperature-Controlled Shipping reefer trailers at warehouse

Transport Practices for Strawberries

To ensure your strawberry shipment’s integrity, it’s vital to grasp the key best practices for temperature-controlled shipping. These practices are fundamental to the success of your strawberry delivery:

Loading

Fresh strawberries are first harvested and loaded into the transport container. During this process, it’s crucial to stack the loaded crates in a structured layer, leaving enough space for air to circulate while ensuring the compartments are firmly placed.

Pre-cooling

Before transportation begins, cool the strawberry crates in a controlled environment to maintain the optimal temperature. This pre-cooling step is essential in maintaining quality fruit during long transit periods.

Speak with an Expert

+ System Integrations

% On-Time Delivery

What Our Clients Are Saying

Our clients consistently highlight the reliability, transparency, and cost-saving impact of partnering with BlueGrace. From small businesses to large enterprises, companies across the country trust our team to manage their LTL shipments efficiently, ensuring on-time delivery and reducing freight expenses. These testimonials reflect not just satisfaction with our services, but confidence in a logistics partner that understands their unique shipping challenges.

Sarah Thompson
Operations Manager, GreenLeaf Supplies

“BlueGrace has completely transformed the way we handle LTL shipments. Their team helped us reduce freight costs by 12% while improving delivery times, and the visibility into every shipment gives us peace of mind. They truly act as an extension of our operations team.”

infinia infinia infinia infinia infinia
David Ramirez
CEO, Horizon Electronics

“We rely on BlueGrace for all of our nationwide LTL shipments. Their personalized support and intelligent routing solutions have made our supply chain much more efficient. The real-time tracking and proactive communication set them apart from any other provider we’ve worked with.”

infinia infinia infinia infinia infinia
Emily Chen
Logistics Coordinator, Summit Retailers

“Partnering with BlueGrace has been a game-changer. Their team understands our business needs, provides cost-effective solutions, and ensures every shipment arrives on time. We finally have a freight partner we can trust, and it shows in our operational performance.”

infinia infinia infinia infinia infinia
bluegrace

Further Along the Transport Process

Logging: 

As you load the produce into the carrier’s reefer trailer, truck or container, it’s also important to log and record their temperature. This allows the handler to monitor and adjust fluctuations, meaning someone is constantly supervising the shipment.

Distribution: Once the product arrives, consumers or retailers can access it. If a retail store receives the strawberries, they will likely require post-cooling before being displayed on the shelf.

Get Quotes

The Problems When Shipping Strawberries

There are a few challenges to consider when shipping strawberries. The most common potential issues are:

Potential fungal growth: As you know, strawberries ship under cold and controlled temperatures. When the temperature fluctuates during transit, it can cause condensation to form inside the container, leading to fungal growth.

Crushed produce: Another challenge emerges during shipping as strawberries can easily suffer damage. This usually happens when crates aren’t stacked properly, or there aren’t adequate spaces for crate movement.

Spoilage: In line with the temperature problem, spoilage occurs when the temperature drops too low or rises too high. If not monitored adequately, the strawberries can rot and become unsafe for consumption.

Get a Freight Quote
Worker inspecting fresh strawberries for quality before shipping

Proven Results

M+

Shipments

%

Cost Savings

%

On-Time Delivery

Advanced Resources for Perishable Supply Chains

Mastering the technical nuances of how to ship strawberries is only one component of a high-performing cold chain strategy. Our resource center provides deeper insights into FSMA compliance and the specific LTL Class requirements for various agricultural commodities to help you avoid costly shipping delays. By exploring our specialized case studies, you can learn how BlueGrace utilizes BlueShip® data to optimize transit times and preserve product shelf life for the nation’s leading produce distributors.

Produce aisle of the grocery store
Temperature-Controlled Shipping: A Shipper’s Guide to Cold Chain Management
BlueGrace graphic titled “Transporting Perishable Goods? Some Important Factors to Consider.” featuring refrigerated grocery shelves stocked with dairy and other chilled products.
Transporting Perishable Goods? Some Important Factors to Consider.
Newsroom
bluegrace logo
Reefer Trailers, Trucks and Containers: What’s the Difference?

Reefer Shipping Is the Solution

Learning how to ship strawberries nationally and internationally can be a challenge without the right partner. BlueGrace tailors temperature-controlled services to meet your unique logistics needs, ensuring constant monitoring and maintenance of your shipment throughout transit. With our meticulous transportation practices and temperature tracking, you can rest assured that your strawberries will arrive at the destination crisp, fresh, and ready to consume.

Contact us today for a free reefer freight quote and get your strawberry shipment on its way!

Speak to a Managed Logistics Expert | Request a Freight Assessment

Need an instant quote? Get started today!
Smiling woman in a blue professional shirt at an office conference table with colleagues collaborating.
icons white shippers
7500+ Daily Shippers
icons white carriers
23,000+ Vetted Carriers
icons white offices
8 U.S. & Mexico Offices
icons white shipments
1M+ Shipments Managed

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Ship Strawberries

Precooling removes field heat immediately after harvest. Loading “warm” berries into a refrigerated trailer, known as hot loading, overwhelms the reefer unit, as trailers are designed to maintain temperature, not lower it.

Strawberries have a very high respiration rate, meaning they take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide and heat. Proper airflow in the trailer is essential to dissipate this heat and prevent premature spoilage.

It is risky, as strawberries are highly sensitive to ethylene-producing fruits, like apples or cantaloupes, which accelerate ripening and decay. We recommend dedicated loads or compatible “mixed” loads with non-ethylene producers.

We ensure carriers use high-spec reefer units and proper pallet spacing to allow air to circulate completely around the load, preventing the unit from shutting off before the back of the trailer reaches the set point.

High humidity (90% to 95%) is required to prevent the berries from wilting or losing weight. However, free-standing water must be avoided as it encourages mold growth.

The Food Safety Modernization Act requires documented proof of sanitary transport. BlueGrace ensures carriers provide trailer wash-out certificates and maintain temperature logs for every load.

Our Managed Logistics model provides access to a “produce-ready” carrier base. We secure capacity months in advance of the California or Florida peaks to insulate you from spot market volatility.

For highly sensitive produce like strawberries, “Continuous Run” is preferred. It ensures a constant flow of chilled air and more uniform temperatures throughout the trailer.

By connecting your shipment to BlueShip®, you can automate the tendering process. Speed is vital; the faster a truck is booked, the sooner the berries can leave the cooling facility.

If a receiver rejects a load due to quality issues, our OS&D team immediately coordinates a third-party inspection (often via the USDA) to verify the claim and mitigate your financial loss.