How to Use Temperature Monitoring in Your Fleet

Temperature monitoring for cold chain logistics

A remote temperature monitoring system is a critical piece in cold chain logistics, particularly when considering the amount of food wasted every year. A recent study found that 38% of the food produced in the United States goes unsold or uneaten, with an estimated 80 million tons going to landfills or being left in fields, becoming food waste. 

Although personal food waste is a leading contributor to these staggering numbers, food loss often occurs before products even hit market shelves. Recent research has found that even with a well-developed food supply cold chain, approximately 17% of food waste occurs during distribution or at retail stores where room temperature can change quickly and freezers may not be immediately available.

Whether your fleet is transporting food, beverages, or other perishable goods, such as vaccines, across state lines or to the next city over, your drivers are probably aware of the risks that spoilage—caused by improper temperature monitoring—can pose to a haul. But how can fleets help reduce the risk of high temperatures and take control of their part in the cold supply chain? 

Read on to learn how remote monitoring systems like wireless temperature sensors and humidity sensors allow fleets to track temperatures in transit to prevent product spoilage, decrease rejected loads, and meet regulatory compliance requirements.

What are temperature monitoring systems?

Temperature data loggers can be the difference between several hundred pounds of spoiled food and peace of mind.

Temperature monitoring systems can provide a reefer management solution that helps fleets monitor temperatures in transit to prevent product spoilage and rejected deliveries. Temperature monitoring devices, like Samsara’s Environmental Monitors, offer automated and continuous temperature measurement so fleets can eliminate manual record keeping and get accurate temperature readings in real time. Not only does this help carriers communicate effectively with customers, but it also ensures compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by providing traceable data. Because temperature and humidity information is continuously logged, fleets can easily pull historical data as proof of product quality to regulators.

How WiFi temperature sensors help prevent food spoilage

Whether your team stores, distributes, or delivers temperature-sensitive products, an unbroken cold chain is critical. It can require high-accuracy record keeping and, if something goes wrong, it can lead to rejected loads and unhappy customers. To maintain the freshest, highest-quality product, perishable goods must be stored at a certain temp in transit.

This can be challenging, however, when a change as small as one degree can be the cause of thousands of dollars in spoiled products. Moreover, in the USA, it's important to meet the FDA's Food Code that states perishable foods must be stored at 41°F or below. If a truck is hauling goods that require varying temperature requirements—such as poultry and fruit—the chances of a rejected load can be even greater. And even if a product is placed onto a truck at the correct temperature, environmental conditions, power outages, or even an open door can cause a change in temperature enough to signal a rejected load.

Rejected loads can negatively impact a fleet in several ways:

• Cost: The carrier is required to compensate the shipper for the value of the spoiled goods through a direct payment or insurance claim.

• Waste: The carrier is required to dispose of spoiled goods, typically in an environmentally friendly way that can be costly.

• Inefficiency: The truck might need to be taken to a washout facility, contributing to additional mileage and costs.

• Customer service: A rejected haul can strain customer relations and complicate securing future business.

How do Samsara’s wireless temperature sensors work?

Samsara's plug and play WiFi monitors and cloud-based software make it easy to oversee cold chain logistics and collect continuous temperature data.

Whether a fleet has boxed trucks or refrigerated trailers, Samsara’s wireless sensors allow trucks to monitor temperature, humidity, and reefer settings in real time. Samsara’s technology serves as a temperature probe and humidity monitor (or hygrometer), and fleet managers can configure automatic mobile or email alerts to detect temperature fluctuations so temperatures can be quickly adjusted if necessary. To do this, fleet managers or dispatchers can designate an acceptable temperature range and enable notifications—including audible alarms—in the case of temperature fluctuation. Fleet managers can also set timers before notifications are shared so something like a door that's been momentarily opened does not automatically trigger an alert.

How do organizations use Samsara environmental monitors?

Food providers and foodservice distributors alike rely on Samsara temperature monitoring to maintain the integrity of their products and keep their customers happy.

Grocery retailers, like Sobeys, use Samsara to ensure products are safe and customers are satisfied. “Many communities depend on us to be their supply source. It's critical for us to have an efficient and safe supply chain to facilitate those deliveries,” said Rob Tostowaryk, Vice President of Distribution at Sobeys. By implementing Samsara Environmental Monitors in their reefers, Sobeys has been able to constantly monitor temperatures remotely, helping to protect their products against spoilage.

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To learn more about how Samsara’s environmental monitoring solution can help your fleet, reach out for a free trial or demo today.