Temperature sensors in each refrigerated truck report every 5 minutes. When chilled goods stay too warm, the driver and dispatcher get a WhatsApp alert, the quality manager is brought in if it persists, and each customer receives a temperature log with the delivery note.
Typical results
10 min
Above 5°C before driver and dispatcher are alerted
20 min
Out of range before the quality manager is called in
100%
Deliveries with a temperature log attached
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
A cold-chain distributor with 12 refrigerated trucks often finds out about a temperature problem when a customer refuses the load. A door left open or a failing unit goes unnoticed for an hour or more, the data sits in the sensor portal, and proving the chain stayed cold means exporting readings by hand for each complaint.
Before and after
Chilled loads rejected per month
−50%Minutes until a temperature problem is noticed
−89%Hours per week preparing temperature records
−88%The automation
Sensors in each truck report every 5 minutes, and a Make scenario checks each reading against the load's set range. When chilled goods stay above 5°C for more than 10 minutes, the driver and dispatcher get a WhatsApp alert with the truck, load and reading. If it isn't back in range within 20 minutes, the quality manager is alerted to decide whether the load continues. At each drop-off, the trip's temperature log PDF goes out with the customer's delivery note.
How it works
- 01
Readings every 5 minutes
Sensors in each refrigerated truck report the cargo temperature, which is checked against the range set for that load.
- 02
Driver and dispatcher alerted
If chilled goods stay above 5°C for more than 10 minutes, both get a WhatsApp alert with the truck, load and reading.
- 03
Escalation at 20 minutes
If the reading is still out of range 20 minutes later, the quality manager is alerted to decide whether the load continues.
- 04
Decision recorded
The quality manager's reply, such as continue or return to depot, is logged against the trip with the time.
- 05
Log with the delivery note
At each drop-off, a PDF of the trip's temperature readings is attached to the delivery note emailed to the customer.
Starts from
- Sensor reading every 5 min
- Load and its set range
Delivers
- WhatsApp alert to driver
- Escalation to quality
- Trip temperature log PDF
The impact
Problems are caught within minutes, while there is still time to close a door or fix a unit. Rejected chilled loads fall by about half, from around 8 a month to 4, and the team stops spending about 3.5 hours a week assembling temperature records, since every delivery already carries its log.
Questions about this automation
Can different loads have different temperature ranges?
Yes. Each load carries its own range from the order, such as 0 to 4°C for dairy or −18°C and colder for frozen goods, and the alert thresholds follow it. A truck with two compartments is checked per compartment, so a warm chilled side doesn't raise an alert for the frozen side.
What happens if a sensor stops reporting?
If no reading arrives for 20 minutes, the dispatcher gets a separate WhatsApp alert that the sensor is silent. The gap is marked on the trip log, so the customer's PDF shows exactly when data was missing instead of a smooth line that hides it.
Which goes live first, the alerts or the delivery logs?
Alerts usually go live first, and the delivery note PDFs follow once the alert rules are settled. Setup needs access to readings on the sensor platform, the temperature range for each product type and phone numbers for drivers, dispatch and quality. This is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages.