Refrigerated, ambient, and dry freight, all delivered on schedule. Temperature stays in spec from pickup to drop. Your shelves and production lines stay supplied.
Food and beverage freight runs on tight delivery windows. When a window is missed, a warehouse doesn't connect to transport, or volume spikes, you lose product, relationships, and money.
Missed delivery windows
Grocery DCs and food service distributors have strict appointment windows. A late arrival means a rejected load, rescheduling fees, and a damaged relationship.
No warehouse buffer
Production schedules don’t always align with delivery windows. You need storage capacity that connects to transportation, not a separate warehouse problem to solve.
Seasonal overflow
Peak production periods create overflow that your regular carriers can't absorb. You need a logistics partner who can flex with your production volume.
Multi-vendor complexity
Managing a carrier, a warehouse, and a broker on the same shipment creates too many points of failure. One point of contact reduces the risk.
Refrigerated, ambient, and dry freight (plus warehouse staging and outbound distribution), coordinated by one team from pickup to delivery.
Refrigerated & Temperature-Controlled Freight
Regional and long-haul transportation for temperature-sensitive food products: fresh, chilled, or frozen. Coordinated scheduling and monitored handling from pickup to delivery.
Full Truckload (FTL)
Direct truckload for full production runs, distribution center deliveries, and customer orders, refrigerated or ambient. We select the most efficient execution path based on timing, equipment, and route.
Partial Loads (LTL)
For smaller shipments and mixed loads that don't fill a trailer. Coordinated partials for regional food distribution without the cost of unused trailer space.
Warehousing & Staging
Short-term and overflow storage at our Pennsylvania facilities, coordinated with outbound transportation. When production outpaces delivery schedules, we hold and ship when the timing is right.
Distribution Support
Outbound freight coordination from our warehouse facilities for regional food service and retail distribution. We manage the scheduling, routing, and transportation in one coordinated operation.
Expedited Freight
For time-critical food shipments that can't wait for standard scheduling. Same-day and next-day freight movement when a production delay or customer emergency requires it.
What we move
Food and beverage freight across every operation
Whether you’re running production outbound, replenishing distribution centers, or managing seasonal overflow, we handle temperature-controlled and ambient freight across the full food supply chain.
Food manufacturing
Production run outbound
Packaged and processed foods
Raw ingredient inbound
Co-packer and contract manufacturer freight
Temperature-sensitive ingredients
Distribution & delivery
Grocery DC replenishment
Food service distribution
Retail store delivery
Ambient and dry goods freight
Cross-dock and consolidation freight
Seasonal & overflow
Peak season production volume
Promotional inventory runs
Harvest and crop freight
Holiday and event distribution
Warehouse staging before delivery windows
Pennsylvania facilities
Storage and staging when schedules don't align
Two transportation-connected facilities for food staging, overflow, and outbound coordination.
Claysburg, PA · Primary Facility
Large-scale food staging & distribution
300,000 sq ft · 14 dock doors · rail-served
I-99 corridor · overflow & seasonal storage · outbound coordination
Sewickley, PA · Regional Hub
Pittsburgh metro food distribution support
20,000 sq ft · 4 dock doors · 20 min from Pittsburgh
Ohio River corridor · regional staging & cross-docking · full 3PL
Why McCabe
Why food shippers stay with McCabe
01
One point of accountability
One contact manages transportation, the warehouse, and the outbound schedule. When something changes (timing, temperature, capacity), you reach one person who owns the answer, not three vendors pointing at each other.
02
Real people, not automated updates
If timing changes, a delivery issue develops, or anything goes wrong in transit, you hear about it from a person who can fix it, not a notification after the fact with no one behind it.
03
Built around food distribution schedules
DC appointment windows, food service cutoffs, and retail delivery requirements are built into how we plan, not worked around after the fact. We understand that missing a food distribution window has real downstream cost.
04
Asset-based with brokerage flexibility
Company trucks and brokered carrier network. We find the fastest, most reliable path, you make one call either way.
How we prevent failures
Food freight problems follow a pattern
Missed windows, rejected loads, and carrier failures follow predictable patterns. Here is how McCabe addresses each one before it becomes your problem.
01
Delivery window planned first
DC appointments and food service windows are built into the transit plan before dispatch, not treated as a suggestion. We route around the window, not around carrier convenience.
02
Freight confirmed before pickup
Equipment type, handling requirements, and any special conditions confirmed before we arrive at origin. A truck that shows up wrong costs you a load. We prevent that before dispatch.
03
Direct communication in transit
If timing changes, a delivery complication develops, or anything shifts in transit, you hear about it from a person who can fix it. Not an automated update with no one behind it.
04
Warehouse when production and delivery don't align
When production timing and delivery schedules don't align, we stage product at our Pennsylvania facilities and coordinate the outbound move when the timing is right.
What customers say
What food shippers tell us
Our DC appointment windows are strict. McCabe has never missed one. That sounds basic but it's genuinely rare with reefer carriers at the volume we're running.
P. SandovalTransportation manager, Regional food distributor
We had a temperature excursion issue with a previous carrier. With McCabe, we get direct communication if anything changes in transit, not a call after delivery.
K. BrennanLogistics director, Pennsylvania food manufacturer
They handled our seasonal overflow when our primary carrier couldn't absorb the volume. Storage and outbound were coordinated from one facility. Seamless.
N. OkaforOperations lead, Mid-Atlantic food service
Questions food shippers ask us
Do you handle food and beverage freight in Pennsylvania?
Yes. McCabe coordinates food and beverage freight (refrigerated, ambient, and dry) for manufacturers, distributors, and food service companies. We operate from Pennsylvania and cover regional and national lanes.
Can you handle delivery window requirements for grocery DCs?
Yes. Grocery DC appointment windows and food service cutoffs are built into the transit plan before dispatch. We route around the window, not around carrier convenience. Hitting strict appointment windows on temperature-controlled freight is a core part of how we plan loads.
Do you offer warehousing alongside food freight transportation?
Yes. Our Claysburg and Sewickley, PA facilities provide short-term and overflow storage coordinated directly with outbound transportation. When production outpaces delivery schedules, we hold product and ship it when the timing is right. One team for both the freight and the warehouse.
Do you handle both refrigerated and ambient food freight?
Yes. We coordinate refrigerated and temperature-controlled freight (fresh, chilled, or frozen) alongside ambient and dry goods, on FTL, LTL, and expedited modes, with company trucks or brokered capacity selected for the most efficient path.
Can you handle overflow volume during peak season?
Yes. Peak season, promotional runs, and harvest volume that your regular carriers can't absorb are handled through our asset and brokered capacity, with staging at our Pennsylvania facilities so overflow product holds and ships on schedule.
