Your deliveries are the lifeblood of your business. Maybe you work in food service and need the day’s fresh produce to run. Maybe you run an office building and count on your weekly coffee delivery to keep everyone from getting loopy. Maybe you manage a healthcare facility that can’t properly function without important deliveries. Whatever it is you’re receiving, the fact of the matter is this: businesses need deliveries.

Products shipped and delivered on trucks run a risk of contamination by ride-hitching pests. They travel long distances, change hands, and sit in loading bays outside for hours. It’s like they’re just asking for “hitchhikers” to burrow inside. You can’t have that, so here’s how to make sure it doesn’t happen. Follow these three tips to make sure you’re not accidentally delivering pests along with everything else.

Stay informed.

Our simplest tip is also our most useful tip: know what’s going on. Contact the vendors you ship with and ask them about their pest prevention practices. If they can’t answer your questions about how they keep pests prevention, it means they aren’t doing enough. If that’s the case, it might be a good idea to start looking elsewhere.

Find a vendor that can tell you exactly how they protect your deliveries. It’ll go a long way toward keeping those deliveries pest-free.

Inspect everything in the receiving area.

Don’t bring packages inside until they’ve been inspected in your loading bay or receiving area. Open boxes and give them quick visual examinations. Taking the time to make these inspections will seriously help you avoid major pest problems.

Your inspections will be considerably more effective if you know what you’re looking for. Train your employees to see the signs of pest infestation. Make sure they know which pests you’re most likely to attract, and how to spot them. The more they know, the safer your deliveries will be.

Keep things clean.

Pests love filth. Always have, always will. If your package receiving area is a mess, there’s a chance pests could infest your shipments even after they’re delivered. Don’t let that happen! Keep your receiving area clean, organized, and dry at all times.

Long story short: you’ll keep your deliveries protected by staying organized, informed, and well-trained. If, despite your best efforts, pests still make it into your commercial property, don’t worry. Assured Environments can get them out and things back to normal in no time.