Reefer loads into Albertsons and Safeway: what it takes to get received

By Todd Cunningham · Last verified September 26, 2026 · Sources at the bottom

Quick answer: Every shipment to an Albertsons Companies DC needs a delivery appointment, scheduled by the carrier in One Network, with the appointment noted on each BOL.[1] Albertsons asks for POs to be scheduled within 24–48 hours of receipt.[2] Every BOL carries the PO and the Requested Arrival Date (RAD). Truckloads need a trailer seal with the seal number on the BOL.[1] All Albertsons locations are driver-unload facilities.[1]

Reefer is all we do. We run your loads into Albertsons and Safeway DCs from PO to POD, and someone’s on it 24/7/365.

This guide is built from Albertsons’ supplier site, AlbertsonsNet. We didn’t find public Albertsons documents on inbound temperature standards, recorders, tracking mandates or a full fee schedule, and we say so where it matters. Your PO, your vendor agreement and your buyer’s instructions come first. Check the date above.

1. Order, PO and routing

What Albertsons requires

  • Mark every shipment PREPAID or COLLECT. Any COLLECT shipment needs prior authorization from Albertsons. Collect shipments sent without it are billed back to the shipper.[1]
  • The RAD is your due date. Each Albertsons PO has an expected delivery date, the Requested Arrival Date (RAD). Product must arrive at the Albertsons location by that date.[1]
  • Truckload routing questions go to Corporate Traffic. Albertsons doesn’t use preferred full-truckload providers. When you call Corporate Traffic, have the PO number, cases, weight, origin, and destination city and ZIP ready.[1]
  • Collect product must be ready. If product isn’t available when a collect shipment is picked up, the shipment becomes prepaid and the vendor’s sole responsibility. Backordered product shipped collect is billed back, freight plus the amount the receiving DC charges.[1]
  • Sort and segregate. Freight must be tendered sorted and segregated, and the shipper certifies this on the BOL. If it isn’t, the sorting and any detention charges are billed back.[1]
  • The preferred-carrier LTL program is for dry freight. Albertsons’ preferred LTL carrier program covers dry grocery and GM LTL deliveries. It isn’t a reefer truckload rule.[1][7]

Where loads go wrong

  • A load ships collect without prior authorization, and the freight bill comes back to you.[1]
  • A collect pickup arrives and the product isn’t ready. The load turns into your prepaid problem.[1]

How Cyan handles this

  • We start with one lane and learn how it really runs before we quote it. That covers freight terms, the RAD, receiving hours and dwell rules.
  • Pickup gets planned backward from the RAD.
  • We check the origin against our weekly Market Intel, so you know if trucks are tight where you ship from.

2. Scheduling the appointment

What Albertsons requires

  • Appointment required, in One Network. A delivery appointment is required for every shipment to an Albertsons DC. The carrier schedules it through One Network, and the appointment is noted on each BOL.[1][5]
  • Timing. Albertsons asks for all POs to be scheduled within 24–48 hours of receipt, so appointments are still open for the due date.[2]

Where loads go wrong

  • The PO sits for days before anyone schedules it, and the slots for the RAD are gone.[2]

How Cyan handles this

  • We deliver to the appointment and keep the receiver updated if anything changes.

3. Pickup at your dock

What Albertsons requires

  • BOL contents on truckloads. The BOL must show:[1]
    • Number of pieces, weight and a full description
    • The Albertsons PO number and due date (RAD), with directions to the carrier to put them on the freight invoice
    • Accurate case and pallet counts
  • Seal required. A trailer door seal is required on truckloads, and the seal number must be clearly on the BOL.[1]
  • Pallets.
    • Cases over 45 lbs must be on pallets.[1]
    • Acceptable pallets are CHEP, PECO, iGPS or Grade A 48×40 wood with 4-way entry. Albertsons doesn’t do pallet exchange.[1][4]
    • Pallets that don’t meet spec are subject to compliance fees, and a re-palletizing fee is added to the unloading of the trailer.[4]
  • Labels. Labels must be addressed to Albertsons Companies at the right address, show the origin and carry the Albertsons PO number.[1]
  • Write down the temperature. Under FDA’s Sanitary Transportation rule, the shipper must give the carrier the operating temperature in writing, including pre-cooling. The carrier must pre-cool the trailer as specified.[8]
  • Run produce continuous. University of Florida’s reefer transport handbook says to use Continuous Run for fresh produce and chilled meat. It also says product should already be at or near its carrying temperature when loaded.[9]
  • Temperature specs. We didn’t find a public Albertsons document with inbound temperature or recorder requirements. Get them from your buyer or your item specs.

Where loads go wrong

  • The seal number isn’t on the BOL.[1]
  • White-wood pallets don’t meet spec, and the re-palletizing fee comes out at the DC.[4]
  • The set point on the display doesn’t match the load sheet, and nobody catches it before the doors close.

How Cyan handles this

  • Temp rules agreed up front: set point, pulp or continuous-run rules and precool are agreed before a truck is assigned.
  • Before-dispatch check: we verify the trailer is right for the load, the unit is precooled, the set point matches the commodity, and the carrier understands the temperature requirements.
  • Carrier check: safety, insurance and reefer history. We don’t use Conditional-rated carriers.
  • Proof from every pickup: on every load, pulp temps and the seal number go on the BOL, and we get a photo of the reefer display before the truck leaves.

24/7/365 in practice

If the truck checks in at 1 AM with a warm box or the wrong set point, someone at Cyan answers. We get it fixed before the load goes on, or we swap the truck.

Shipping into Albertsons or Safeway? Get a lane review. Send us one lane. We’ll walk it stage by stage (appointment, temp, paperwork) and tell you where it could break. No rate pitch. Grab 30 minutes with Alex or check your lane.

4. In transit

What Albertsons requires

  • Tracking mandates. We didn’t find a public Albertsons requirement for location or temperature data feeds. Ask your buyer if one applies to your lane.
  • Carrier duty under FSMA: if the shipper or receiver asks, the carrier must show it kept the load within the operating temperature.[8]

Where loads go wrong

  • Temperature drift or an alarm goes unnoticed overnight.
  • The ETA slips past the appointment and nobody calls the DC.

How Cyan handles this

  • Tracking with a person on it: GPS and reefer-status data from our tracking partners. When a ping goes stale, someone chases it.
  • Your platform: where it applies, we work inside the visibility platform you or your customer already uses.
  • Exception playbook: when a temperature reading, ETA, route or appointment moves outside plan, we contact the carrier, confirm the facts, coordinate recovery and keep you informed.
  • Breakdowns: backup carriers, cold storage partners or a reroute, with you kept posted.

24/7/365 in practice

It’s 3 AM and the reefer alarms. We call the driver and confirm the reading. Then we decide on repair, reroute or transload, line up the backup, and tell you while there’s still time to protect the RAD.

5. Arrival and receiving

What Albertsons requires

  • Driver unload, with an unloading service. All Albertsons Companies locations are driver-unload facilities. Albertsons partners with unloading services, and failing to hire one may result in a compliance fine.[1]
  • Authorized carriers only. Albertsons reserves the right to refuse unloading for unauthorized carriers under its routing guide.[1]
  • Late trucks. AlbertsonsNet lists DC receiving dock numbers for after-hours no-shows and late trucks.[6]
  • Receiving and acceptance are Albertsons’ call. The DC runs its own receiving process and decides whether the load is accepted.

Where loads go wrong

  • The driver doesn’t plan for the unloading service, and the load draws a compliance fine.[1]
  • A load is refused overnight, and the shipper hears about it the next morning.

How Cyan handles this

  • Unloading planned in advance: the carrier knows before dispatch that it’s a driver-unload DC with an unloading service.
  • If Albertsons refuses the load: we handle what comes next and keep you posted the whole way.
  • We pull the reefer unit’s temperature record for the trip and send it to you.

24/7/365 in practice

If your load is refused at 4 AM, Cyan picks up. We start working the problem right then, so there’s a plan before your team is in.

6. After delivery: POD, fees and claims

What Albertsons requires

  • Fees and bill-backs. Albertsons’ routing requirements list bill-backs for unauthorized collect shipments, backordered product shipped collect, sorting and segregating, and improperly packaged LTL. They also mention fines for continued non-compliance.[1] Non-compliant pallets draw compliance fees and a re-palletizing fee,[4] and manual appointment requests can draw a $100 fee.[3]
  • Full fee schedule and disputes. We didn’t find a public Albertsons fee schedule or dispute process. Ask your buyer or supplier.support@safeway.com.[1]
  • Records: FSMA requires sanitary transportation records to be kept for 12 months beyond the use of the agreement or procedure.[10]
  • Carrier claims. A carrier can’t set less than 9 months to file a cargo claim.[11] A written claim must identify the shipment, assert liability and demand a specific or determinable amount.[12]

Where loads go wrong

  • A bill-back arrives and nobody has the BOL, appointment record or lumper receipt to answer it.

How Cyan handles this

  • Your documents come back to you: we return the POD and lumper receipts on every load.
  • Deductions: when Albertsons bills back or deducts for something on a load we ran, we help you fight it with the appointment record, gate times and pickup proof (pulp temps, seal number, reefer display photo).
  • Closing out: delivery confirmation and a closed-loop handoff, with chain-of-custody documentation from pickup through delivery.
  • If there’s a cargo claim, we help file it with the carrier under D&L Transport’s claims process.

FAQ

How do I book a delivery appointment at an Albertsons or Safeway DC?

The carrier books it in One Network. Every shipment to an Albertsons DC needs an appointment, and it goes on each BOL.[1] Albertsons asks for POs to be scheduled within 24–48 hours of receipt.[2]

What is the RAD on an Albertsons PO?

The Requested Arrival Date: the date product must arrive at the Albertsons location. It must be on each BOL, and the carrier is told to put it on the freight invoice.[1]

Do I need a lumper at Albertsons DCs?

All Albertsons locations are driver-unload facilities that partner with unloading services. Albertsons says failing to hire an unloading service may result in a compliance fine.[1]

What pallets does Albertsons accept?

CHEP, PECO, iGPS or Grade A 48×40 wood pallets with 4-way entry. There’s no pallet exchange.[1][4]

What does Cyan do if an Albertsons load has a problem at night?

We answer. Cyan covers loads 24/7/365. A reefer alarm, a breakdown or a refused load gets worked when it happens, whether that means a backup truck, cold storage or finding the load a new home. You hear it from us first.

Rules that apply at every receiver

  • FSMA: give the carrier the operating temperature in writing, including pre-cooling.[8]
  • Continuous run: use it for fresh produce and chilled meat.[9]
  • Claims: carriers must allow at least 9 months to file.[11]

The full stage-by-stage list is in our free Reefer Receiver Readiness Checklist.

Related: Produce · Protein · Dairy · Frozen · How We Track · FAQ · Kroger playbook (also books through One Network) · All receiver playbooks

Know where your Albertsons or Safeway lane could break before it costs you a load.

Seven quick questions about one lane, with a plain-English result right away. Check your lane.

Rather just talk? Grab 30 minutes with Alex · (909) 972-1006 · 24/7/365

Sources

  1. Albertsons Companies, Inc. & Safeway, Inc., “Inbound Routing Requirements” (AlbertsonsNet for Suppliers). https://suppliers.safeway.com/pages/RoutingGuidelines.htm
  2. AlbertsonsNet, “Appointment Scheduling – Frequently Asked Questions.” https://suppliers.safeway.com/docs/AppointmentScheduling_FAQ.pdf
  3. AlbertsonsNet, “Scheduling a Delivery Appointment – Carriers / Vendors” (One Network tutorial). https://suppliers.safeway.com/traffic/DeliveryApptSchedulingTutorial.pdf
  4. AlbertsonsNet, Pallet Policy. https://suppliers.safeway.com/docs/Pallet_Policy.pdf
  5. AlbertsonsNet, Appointment Information. https://suppliers.safeway.com/pages/AppointmentRequest.htm
  6. AlbertsonsNet, Daily Traffic Contacts. https://suppliers.safeway.com/pages/DailyTrafficContacts.htm
  7. AlbertsonsNet, Supply Chain – Transportation / Logistics (Carrier Information). https://suppliers.safeway.com/pages/CarrierInformation.htm
  8. 21 CFR 1.908, Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food (FDA). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subpart-O/subject-group-ECFRe79dfa68f350fd3/section-1.908
  9. University of Florida IFAS, HS1328 “Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck or Rail.” https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1328
  10. 21 CFR 1.912, records under the Sanitary Transportation rule. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subpart-O/subject-group-ECFRaa3787a56167350
  11. 49 U.S.C. 14706(e). https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section14706&num=0&edition=prelim
  12. 49 CFR 370.3. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-370

Cyan Logistics is a freight broker and authorized agent of D&L Transport (MC#512099). This page summarizes Albertsons’ public supplier documents and federal rules. It is not Albertsons guidance or legal advice.