Logistics
Cold chain and sensitive goods
Proving the temperature held, not just that the lorry arrived.
In refrigerated transport, delivery is not enough: you have to prove the temperature held for the whole journey. And that proof, unless dated by a third party, is a record anyone could have edited afterwards.
The three modules
| What | Module | When |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigeration equipment documentation and servicing | Trackline | At onboarding, with expiry |
| Delivery with the recipient's sign-off | Consigne | On every delivery |
| Journey temperature record | SmartCheck | Certified at journey close |
Important
Certifying the temperature record at journey close is what turns an editable file into evidence. Without it, facing a spoiled-goods claim you hold a file that says what suits you and that the other side can reasonably dispute.
Where the chain breaks, in practice
All three share something: they happen at a specific moment that can be documented. A certified photo of the temperature recorder at loading and unloading covers most disputes.
Frameworks cited
Hygiene rules applicable to food transport, requirements for refrigeration equipment and installations, and — for medical or pharmaceutical products — the corresponding good distribution practices. Which temperatures and records your product requires is confirmed by your adviser or certification body.
Watch out
If the refrigeration unit's service is overdue and there is an incident, the argument stops being about temperature and becomes about why it was on the road like that. Marking that service with a long warning is cheap.
›Is the equipment's own record enough?
It is worth more certified at journey close, with a third party's date.
›What if the incident happened at the client's warehouse?
That is why documenting unloading matters: it narrows where it happened.
›Does it serve for an insurance claim?
It is the kind of evidence asked for; confirm the required format with your insurer.
A real case
The situation
A refrigerated carrier loses a spoiled-goods claim with no way to prove the temperature.
What you do
- Certifies the record at each journey close
- Certified photo of the recorder at loading and unloading
What you get
The next claim is narrowed to unloading at the client's warehouse, with dated evidence.
The situation
The temperature log lives in the lorry's unit.
What you do
- Collects and stores the log on completion
What you get
The proof reaches the file.
The situation
There is a dispute about where the chain broke.
What you do
- Records the condition at each handover
What you get
The dispute closes on data.
The situation
Goods arrive out of range and are accepted anyway.
What you do
- Records the incident on receipt
What you get
The acceptance is explained.
The situation
A client asks for a specific shipment's log.
What you do
- Checks that shipment's file
What you get
You answer per shipment.
The situation
Nobody reviews incidents until there is a problem.
What you do
- Reviews them periodically
What you get
Patterns show before the incident.
This article answers
- transport temperature records
- cold chain break claim
- refrigerated transport documentation
- goods temperature traceability