FLF Logistics
Refrigerated and temperature-controlled van transport for businesses
We move chilled, cool and frozen goods in temperature-controlled vans, as scheduled rounds or one-off runs. The temperature is logged for the whole journey and you get a report for every run.
Refrigerated transport is for businesses whose product cannot travel in an ordinary load space: food wholesalers and bakeries, restaurants and central kitchens delivering meals to care homes and schools, laboratories, florists, and manufacturers whose raw materials need a stable temperature. We use temperature-controlled vans in which the load space is set to the product's requirement and logged throughout. Our drivers are our own employees and are used to cold-chain rules, because the same vehicles and skills also serve our pharmaceutical transport.
We drive from Helsinki and Lahti across Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme. A typical job is a morning round from a central kitchen to care homes, a wholesaler's top-up run to restaurants, or samples taken to a laboratory at an agreed time. A van gets where a lorry cannot: city-centre loading bays, care-home yards and restaurant back doors. Same-day is often possible as a one-off run, and a scheduled round is assigned to a regular driver who learns the route and each recipient's routine.
The price of refrigerated transport is based on the route, the number of stops, time and the temperature requirement. A scheduled round is priced per route or per month; a one-off run by distance and time. There are no separate cold surcharges when the temperature requirement is known in advance and the vehicle is chosen accordingly. Tell us the products, temperature range, pickup points, delivery points and time windows, and you will usually have a quote the same working day.
+2 to +8 °C
cold chain
−22 °C
frozen, down to
8
cities in our service area
30+
vehicles
What we carry as refrigerated transport
Food
Fresh produce, meat, fish, dairy and bakery goods from wholesaler or producer to shops, restaurants and kitchens.
Meals for restaurants and care homes
Chilled and hot meals from a central kitchen to care homes, nurseries and schools on an agreed schedule, so the food arrives before mealtime.
Laboratory samples
Samples from health centres, clinics and production plants to the laboratory, chilled or frozen, signed for on receipt.
Medicines and vaccines
Medicines are carried under our FLF-Pharma service to GDP requirements. See the separate pharmaceutical transport page for training, loggers and emergency runs.
Flowers and plants
Cut flowers and plants from wholesaler to florists and events, kept cool so they last until sale.
Chemicals and raw materials
Industrial raw materials, adhesives, paints and laboratory chemicals that need a stable temperature and must not freeze or overheat.
Vehicles and temperature ranges
The temperature is set to the product before loading. The same van can run chilled goods in the morning and room-temperature goods in the afternoon, as long as there is time to reset the load space in between.
- Temperature-controlled vans for urban distribution and small batches; larger batches on temperature-controlled lorries
- Cold chain at +2 to +8 °C for fresh produce, meals and samples
- Frozen goods down to −22 °C with cold packs or freezer boxes
- Stable room temperature at +15 to +25 °C for frost-sensitive products in winter
- Temperature logger in the load space or in the box, GPS tracking in every vehicle
- Roll cages, crates and pallets; tail lift when needed
How the cold chain stays unbroken
The cold chain rarely breaks while the van is moving. The risk points are loading, unloading and waiting. That is why the load space is pre-cooled or pre-heated before the first crate goes in, and the doors stay open only for as long as loading takes. The load is arranged in unloading order so that goods for the last stop are not shifted at every drop and the door is open for the shortest possible time.
A temperature logger records readings at agreed intervals from pickup to the final drop. If the temperature exceeds the limit, for example during a long unload, the driver is notified and follows the agreed procedure: close the doors, check the cooling and log the deviation. The deviation is reported to the customer straight away, not with the invoice, so the recipient can decide on the use of the product.
On a one-off run the cold chain is secured in the same way as on a scheduled round. In your request for quotation, mention if the product has a tighter temperature limit than usual, or if the recipient's cold store is not right next to the loading bay, as we will then bring cold boxes for the indoor transfer as well.
Scheduled rounds or a one-off run
Scheduled round
The same driver runs the same route on agreed days. Recipients know the driver, keys and codes are in hand, and delivery happens the same way every time. Priced per route or per month.
One-off run
A single refrigerated delivery to an event, a new customer or an exceptional situation. Often same or next day, priced by distance and time.
Season and cover
Christmas and summer peaks, or your own driver's holiday. We run extra rounds or the whole route for a fixed period, in a van wrapped in your livery if you wish.
Own-check plans and documentation
A food business operator has an own-check plan that also sets the temperature limits for transport and how they are verified. As the transport company we follow the requirements of the customer's own-check plan: we agree the temperature limits, logging interval, sign-off procedure and who is notified of a deviation. The same practice applies to laboratory samples and other temperature-sensitive goods with their own quality instructions.
Documentation is based on logger data and signatures. You can have a temperature report for every run or a monthly summary, and reports are kept for the agreed period for inspections. When your supervising authority or auditor asks for the temperature history of a delivery, it can be found by date and route.
Service area
Refrigerated runs leave from Malmi in Helsinki and from Lahti, and we cover the whole of Uusimaa, Kanta-Häme and Päijät-Häme.
- Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa: city-centre restaurants, the Vuosaari and West Harbour terminals, wholesalers and laboratories around Aviapolis
- Lahti, Hollola and Heinola: central kitchens, care homes and food industry from our Lahti depot
- Hämeenlinna, Riihimäki and Hyvinkää: rounds from the Helsinki or Lahti side, including the Riihimäki garrison and Hämeenlinna city centre
- Longer transfers elsewhere in Finland by arrangement, for example from producer to wholesaler
Pricing
The price of refrigerated transport is based on the route, the number of stops, time and the temperature requirement. A temperature-controlled van is not a surcharge but a choice made at the quotation stage.
One-off charge
A single refrigerated run by distance and time, often the same or next day.
Route price
A recurring distribution round at a fixed price per route, for example a morning meal delivery.
Contract price
Ongoing cooperation with a regular driver and a predictable monthly price, invoiced once a month.
Request a quote for refrigerated transport
Tell us the products, temperature range, pickup points, delivery points and time windows. You will usually have a quote the same working day, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does refrigerated transport cost?
The price is based on the route, the number of stops, time and the temperature requirement, so we always quote case by case. A scheduled round is priced per route or per month; a one-off run by distance and time. State the products, temperature range and time windows in your request, or call 050 410 2021, and you will usually have a price the same working day.
Which temperature ranges are possible?
Cold chain at +2 to +8 °C for fresh produce, meals and samples; frozen down to −22 °C; and stable room temperature at +15 to +25 °C for frost-sensitive goods in winter. The load space is set to the product before loading, and goods needing different temperatures travel in separate vehicles or in separate cold boxes.
How do you make sure the cold chain is not broken?
The load space is pre-cooled before loading, the load is arranged in unloading order, and doors stay open only for loading and unloading. A temperature logger records the whole journey and the driver is notified immediately if a limit is exceeded. The deviation is logged and reported to the customer straight away so the recipient can decide on the use of the product.
Can I order refrigerated transport for the same day?
Often, yes. A one-off run is frequently possible the same or next day, depending on where a temperature-controlled van is and how long the route is. Call 050 410 2021 with the product, temperature range, pickup and delivery addresses and the time window, and we will confirm the time on the phone.
Do you carry frozen goods?
Yes. Frozen goods travel down to −22 °C in freezer boxes or with cold packs in addition to the cooled load space, and the amount of coolant is sized to the length of the route. Tell us the volume of frozen goods and the number of drops in your request, as every door opening affects how much coolant is needed.
Will I get a temperature report?
Yes. The logger data, a time-stamped temperature curve, is delivered for every run or as a monthly summary for your own-check records and audits, as you prefer. Reports are kept for the agreed period, and the temperature history of a particular day's delivery can be retrieved afterwards by date and route.
Ask about refrigerated transport
Tell us the products, temperature range and routes, and we will suggest the right vehicle and pricing model. Call 050 410 2021 or send a request for quotation.