The cold chain and the paperwork are the same job.
For perishable air cargo, a clean document set with a broken temperature record isn't a successful shipment. USME treats the ULD build, the airline tender, and the document set as one workstream.
How we treat cold-chain integrity.
USME does not own cold storage, trucks, or aircraft. We coordinate with providers we work with regularly — and airline partners whose perishable handling discipline we trust. In practice, that means a small number of rules we hold firmly.
Set-points confirmed in writing
By product, before the ULD is built. No verbal-only arrangements on temperature, gel packs, or dry-ice supplementation.
Airline cut-offs respected
Tender windows are tight. Trucking dispatch is planned against the airline's perishable acceptance cut-off, not the other way around.
Cool-room dwell minimized
Build-up is scheduled so product spends as little time as possible at ambient between truck and ULD.
ULD spec matched to product
PMC for high-volume mixed pallets, LD7 for narrow-body lanes, contoured builds where the cargo profile requires it.
Temperature data retained
Where available from cool-room logs or third-party loggers, the data joins the shipment file.
The parties we coordinate with on every shipment.
Partner airlines
Long-standing relationships with carriers running daily perishable lanes into the GCC.
Build-up handlers
Airline-appointed perishable centers at LAX, JFK, ORD, and MIA for PMC / LD7 builds.
Cold storage & 3PL
Near U.S. packing regions and origin airports — short truck legs, clean handoff.
Refrigerated trucking
Short-haul to the airline acceptance dock, against confirmed tender windows.
Ocean reefer (secondary)
Available where lane economics or volume call for it.
Customs brokers & inspection
USDA APHIS coordination and licensed brokerage engaged per shipment.
The document set that travels with the shipment.
- 01Commercial invoice
- 02Packing list
- 03Certificate of origin
- 04Phytosanitary certificate (USDA APHIS)
- 05Air waybill (Master AWB / House AWB)
- 06Temperature & cool-room handoff record
- 07Insurance certificate (where insured)
- +1Inspection / grade certificates
- +2Halal or other certifications (vendor-dependent)
- +3Destination-specific health & agricultural docs
- +4Labeling and language compliance
- +5Letter of credit documentation set
- +6Customs broker-issued documents (destination)
A note on customs brokerage.
USME is not a licensed customs broker. We coordinate with licensed brokers and the appropriate authorities to ensure the documentation set is correct for the destination.
Buyers retain their own clearance agents at the destination port. Compliance responsibilities at origin and destination remain with the parties legally accountable for them; USME's role is to coordinate, prepare, and route documents accurately and on time.
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