A.T.P. certifications
Bertona - Borgomanero

A.T.P. (Accord Transport Perissable), is an acronym for "Agreements on the international carriage of perishable foodstuffs and special equipment to be used for such carriage".
The ATP regulation is the result of a European agreement signed in Geneva on 1st September 1970, by certain states, including Italy, which imposes certain rules in the construction of isothermal installations for refrigerated transportation intended for the transport of perishable foodstuffs at a controlled temperature, as well as certain requirements for users.
This agreement entered into force on 21st November 1976.

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The A.T.P. standard therefore applies to transport operations carried out in the territory of at least two contracting states and, in addition, some countries have adopted A.T.P. as the basis for their national legislation. The contracting countries retain the right to make their provisions through special bilateral or multilateral agreements and the provisions relating to the temperatures at which some foodstuffs must be maintained during transport, and to adopt stricter measures than those provided for by the International agreement, in particular taking into consideration its own climatic conditions.
In Italy it took legal effect through Law no. 264 of 2nd May 1977 (A.T.P. Agreement) and by its implementing regulation Pres. Decree 29th May 1979 no. 404, and by Ministerial Decrees 28th February 1984, nos. 1182 and 1183.
Starting from 1st September 1984, compliance with the standards contained in the A.T.P. agreement, only with regard to the technical characteristics of the means of transport, has also been extended to the transport of perishable goods carried out on the national territory, and the competence for technical and thermal aspects has been assigned to the Ministry of Transport and Navigation, which exercises it during the certification or approval report for small series vehicles, at the CPA or at Test Stations or Provincial Motorisation Offices (UMC) or periodic six -year tests at the CPA and the Test Stations, or three-year tests at the ATP Expert test premises.
Whereas the health and hygiene aspect remains the exclusive responsibility of the Ministry of Health, through the A.S.L.
The A.T.P. agreement also includes the requirements, in terms of the temperatures at which the individual foodstuffs, which require well-defined temperature regimes to be maintained, must be transported. These provisions are in line with the limits set by the Ministry of Health (Pres. Decree no. 327/1980 and Min. Decree 12.10.81 and Min.
Decree 1.04.1988 no. 178).

Arrangement and definitions

The A.T.P. agreement requires those who transport frozen or deep-frozen perishable foodstuffs, and also those that do not need to be frozen or deep-frozen, to use vehicles that can guarantee the conservation of foodstuffs at certain temperatures.

To ensure the required controlled temperatures are met, the vehicles must be equipped with permanent equipment that meet the technical characteristics set out in the annexes to the agreement.

The certificate of isothermal conformity (A.T.P. Certificate).

The identification marks shown on the sides of the vehicles and/or on the type-approval plates applied to them, based on the A.T.P.
classification, correspond to characteristics that identify the specific type of structure suitable for maintaining the temperature required for the transport of perishable foodstuffs.

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Some of the different transport vehicles covered by the A.T.P. agreement are listed below:

a) Isothermal Vehicles
IN normal isothermal
IR reinforced isothermal

b) Refrigerated Vehicles (FNA... FRB ...FRC)
class A normal refrigerator N Int. Temp. between +12°C and 0°C included
class B reinforced refrigerator R Int. Temp. between +12°C and -10°C included
class C reinforced refrigerator R Int. Temp. between +12°C and -20°C included

c) Cooling Vehicle (RR ...)
class C Int. Temp. -20°C and over

A.T.P. renewal

Our testing center, thanks to the collaboration of the A.T.P. expert assisted by qualified technical staff, can renew the A.T.P. certificate after the first 6 years from the date of construction of the isothermal installation. To do this, the following documents are needed:
- Original A.T.P. certificate that is expiring or that has expired; if lost, report of the loss and a certified copy.
- Copy of the vehicle registration document.

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To renew the A.T.P. certificate, the vehicle must first have been kept in a good condition as provided for in point 7 of the A.T.P. certificate, which is shown below:

- 7.1.1 that the isothermal bodywork and, where necessary, the thermal equipment has been kept in a good condition;
- 7.1.2 that the thermal equipment has not undergone any modification;
- 7.1.3 that if the thermal equipment has been replaced with another, the latter has the same or greater cooling capacity.

Therefore it is essential for A.T.P. testing to restore the isothermal van if there have been breakages due to its use, and to carry out an overhaul of the refrigeration unit.
The validity of the certificate will be extended in the following ways:
- for normal category vehicles (N) of class A, 3 +3+3 years;
- for reinforced category vehicles (R) class B or C 3+3 years (unless the owner of the vehicle authorises in writing the downgrading of the bodywork from R to N).
The renewal can take place as early as 6 months before its natural expiry, in which case the renewal starts from the expiry date.
From the 12th year for reinforced vehicles and from the 15th year for normal vehicles, the renewal test is the exclusive competence of the Test Stations. This renewal lasts for 6 years.
We can provide preventive advice (verification of the possibility of passing these tests) and also follow the process from the booking phase to the final A.T.P. issuance.

A.T.P. Duration

At certain deadlines, the isothermal vehicle must be checked for persistence of the eligibility requirements.
The vehicle upon first commissioning is equipped with an A.T.P. CERTIFICATE, which is an integral part of the vehicle registration certificate.
The permanence of the initial requirements must be proven after 6 years and subsequently every 6 years from the first test, if carried out by Test Stations (CPA of the Department of Motor Vehicles or by other specifically authorised test stations), or every 3 years up to the 15th year for normal isothermal vehicles or up to the 12th year for reinforced isothermal vehicles if the tests are carried out by an expert authorised by the Ministry.
(Activity of the experts circular U0018911 of 02/08/2018)