The Food Safety Modernization Act, the most sweeping reform of food safety laws in more than 70 years, aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it. As provisions of the legislation are implemented by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the burden to meet the mandate falls especially hard on companies like Santa Monica Seafood.
The largest seafood distributor in the Southwest, processing more than 32 million lbs. of fresh and frozen seafood annually, Santa Monica Seafood operates a 120,000-sq.-ft. processing and distribution facility in Rancho Dominguez, CA. There, seafood arrives daily and is parceled out on pallets for local delivery by truck, or transported in 53-ft. trailers to one of the company’s cross-dock facilities in Las Vegas, NV; Phoenix, AZ; San Diego, Sacramento and Atascadero, CA.
From its distribution locations, Santa Monica Seafood uses medium-duty trucks with refrigerated bodies to make deliveries to high-end restaurants and about 500 grocery stores, including several major chains. Each truck makes 17 to 25 stops daily, six days a week.
“We’ve had a reputation for providing the highest quality seafood since my two great uncles started this business in 1939 as a seafood market and restaurant,” says Vince Cigliano, director of special projects. “We are the only U.S. seafood company to be globally recognized with both ISO 14001 and FSSC 22000 food safety certifications, and we’re truly committed to being the most trusted source of seafood in the industry.
“We don’t compromise and that commitment funnels all the way down the distribution chain,” Cigliano continues. “Our reputation is riding on the trucks we use to make deliveries. Our customers expect us to turn around seafood orders in a matter of hours, so it goes without saying that reliable trucks are essential to our success.”
Santa Monica Seafood has opted for a full-service lease program for its trucks, the majority of which are with PacLease through Rush Truck Leasing and Pape Kenworth in Fresno.
“A full-service lease provides premium truck and maintenance services that help us make sure we’re presenting a great image and serving our customers effectively,” Cigliano says. “In addition, we have flexibility, which helps keep our operation running efficiently. With the PacLease national account program, for example, we can move trucks from one location to another, depending on our needs. We also have access to various locations for maintenance and at our main facility PacLease provides a mobile service unit, something that saves us a lot of time.”
PacLease supplies 18 trucks in four locations. Included are Peterbilt Model 325s and Kenworth T270s with 14- and 16-ft. bodies and Peterbilt 337s with 18-ft. bodies. The units feature Paccar PX engines and Allison automatic transmissions.
American Truck Bodies & Repair supplies bodies and liftgates. The company specs Carrier Supra and Thermo King T-800-50 refrigeration units and uses cargo temperature sensors in conjunction with Telogis software to monitor the perishable loads.
“Our brand is very strong and these trucks and technologies reinforce our image,” Cigliano states. “That is important to us, especially as we continue to realize an annual growth rate of 20% in demand for our quality seafood.”
