Transporting food and beverages poses a safety risk—particularly for products that need to be kept at certain temperatures throughout the entire delivery in order to protect quality, such as dairy or frozen items. Numerous disruptions and complications can occur during the process of transferring food products from the farm or warehouse to store shelves that could compromise the safety and security of the load. However, with advancements in trailer tracking technology, companies gain enhanced asset visibility and cargo security, and are better equipped to prevent the risks that are inherent during transport.
Trailer tracking technology is an excellent tool for fleets that transport food as it provides unparalleled asset visibility. Today’s advanced solutions feature highly sensitive sensors that can alert drivers and managers in near real time if there is an unexpected shift in trailer temperature. This level of insight enables fleets to take immediate action to correct the problem to avoid the risk of spoiled food. Certain systems also allow temperatures to be set or adjusted in refrigerated trailers remotely, giving managers more control over the integrity of the load even from hundreds of miles away. Trailer tracking technology also helps fleets improve customer satisfaction by passing temperature history from the refrigeration unit’s microcontroller to a fleet’s back office. Such data and reporting assures that proper reefer temperatures were appropriately managed and maintained throughout.
Beyond reefer monitoring, trailer tracking systems can help ensure the safety of cargo from theft and tampering. Sensors can detect when the trailer door is open, and notifying managers of cargo access at an unauthorized time or location. Chain of custody is another concern for food manufacturers, as the onus is on the company to verify everything that took place during transport, and vehicle tracking leaves a detailed breadcrumb trail of an end-to-end picture of the products’ transport path.
With timely and accurate cargo and transport data, companies can better ensure the safe transport of food and beverage products. When your product arrives at the right temperature, with its quality intact, your company’s bottom line will benefit.
With more than a decade of experience in the transportation and logistics industry, Jim Sassen is senior manager of product marketing for Omnitracs, LLC. He works closely with sales, product management, and thought leadership teams to document user success and business needs.
