Cold chain
Food distributor catches temperature excursions early
Refrigerated runs needed more than dots on a map. Threshold-based alerts and dispatcher coordination reduced spoilage risk on long regional legs—especially on summer afternoons.
- Fleet mix
- Rigids, vans, and B-double fridge sets
- Primary signals
- Threshold alerts + reporting
- Operational win
- Fewer load write-offs
Customer profile
A food distributor serving supermarkets and independent grocers from two DCs. Mixed rigid and van fleet with some multi-drop regional routes exceeding six hours in heat. QA manager and transport manager jointly accountable for rejections at delivery.
Situation
Temperature failures were often discovered at handover, when rework options were limited to credits or write-offs. Drivers insisted setpoints were correct leaving the DC, but without correlated timelines, root-cause conversations stalled. Peak summer amplified risk on known problem routes.
Approach
Trakngo became the operational map for dispatch while temperature monitoring (device and sensor dependent) fed the same exception queue where available. Supervisors tuned alert thresholds by route class and season. Drivers received laminated quick-reference cards for escalation phone numbers tied to alert types.
Results
Several near-misses converted into successful interventions—product saved because dispatch could call ahead and reroute to a closer cold store. QA saw fewer unexplained gaps in documentation when auditors asked for time-stamped evidence alongside temperature logs.
Key takeaways
- Cold chain wins when location and temperature discipline share one escalation path.
- Seasonal threshold tuning prevents alert fatigue in mild weather.
- Auditors respond well when replay and exception lists tell a single story.
Next step
Illustrative scenario for the site renewal—swap in named customers when you are ready.
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