Temperature Monitoring

Companies with fleets like frozen or chilled distribution companies have found several benefits from vehicle tracking systems.  Many major retailers have specific procedures that must be followed regarding temperature of products delivered.  Frozen foods must be at -18 degrees or below when delivered.  This means that the truck drivers have to know what their truck temperature is at and make sure that it remains at the right temperature, even during the hotter summer days.  These drivers do not want to stop every few hours to check that the temperature is right on.

Also with frozen or chilled food the booking times must be on track.  Many warehouses have set times they will unload the trailer.  They have the paperwork completed, and need to get the trailer out of the loading bay on time.  Typically a truck being unloaded at the warehouse means there are more people on hand to help to get it done quickly.  These warehouses do not want the employees standing around waiting for the truck.

With such specifics it is paramount that the driver keeps on track.  If the products being delivered on the truck are above temperature or the trailer is late the depot may even reject it.  For the distributor and the supplier this can add up, especially due to loss of sales and fuel costs.

Vehicle tracking systems can help combat these occurrences by offering alerts if the temperature rises in the trailer.  The alerts are actually given to the driver so that they know when to stop.  Often the temperature rises on hot summer days or when there are a lot of stops the truck has to make before getting to the last stop.  Since the back of the vehicle would have to be open for each delivery it can cause issues.  The driver will know if the temperature rises and can secure the back of the vehicle to get the temperature back down.  This could mean they close the door for a few minutes while at a delivery site in order to protect the other deliveries.  However, it does help with rejection and time.

Temperature is just one aspect of the vehicle tracking system that can send an alert.  It is important for those special deliveries, but the other alerts are just as important.  For example a truck that begins to move off course will send an alert, which will get the driver back on track.  If the driver is lost for some reason while making a delivery it could affect the time they arrive at the warehouse.  The tracking system will ensure that this does not happen.  It will get the driver right back on track.

Other alerts vehicle tracking systems offer have to do with movements of vehicles that are unscheduled.  For instance a truck that is moving during the night when there are no deliveries may be stolen, so an alert is sent to the data centre and passed to the person in charge.  All of these alerts especially the temperature monitoring will help save time and money.