TORONTO, Ont. — The North American Produce Transportation Working Group (NAPTWG) has created best practices guidelines for produce shippers and carriers.

The organization has made the 22-page document available for free on its Web site www.naptwg.org.

According to the group, “The document integrates multiple existing transportation guidelines into one best practices documents which can be used throughout North America to ensure the ongoing vitality of the carrier sector.”

The guidelines were assembled in consultation with stakeholders through the produce supply chain and were reviewed and endorsed by the Blue Book and the Dispute Resolution Corporation to ensure compliance with industry trading guidelines for North America, the organization says. Included in the guidelines are detailed carrier and shipper checklists.

“The new guidelines represent an incredible volume of work by industry associations and produce organizations involved in the transport of fresh produce,” said David Dever, president and CEO of Sun World International and NAPTWG chairman. “We all know  how crucial ensuring the vitality of our carrier industry is to the long term viability of the North American produce industry and this is one tool to support that.”

The guidelines have been welcomed by the produce carrier community.

“Transportation carriers are facing increasing costs and complexities today,” said David Owen, president of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC). “If we don’t all play our part in assisting carriers and making produce a desirable industry to do business in, we could face shortages of carriers in the future. The guidelines should be used by all to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

The document is available free of charge at www.naptwg.org.