Agribusiness Refrigerated Logistics Tracker
Industry: Agribusiness & Logistics · Location: Regional Victoria · Timeline: 12 weeks · Outcome: Temperature excursions flagged within minutes, not days.
The Problem
A regional freight company moved refrigerated produce between farms, packhouses and Melbourne distribution centres. They had no real-time visibility of their fleet. Drivers filled out paper temperature logs at the end of each run. If a refrigeration unit failed mid-delivery, the customer found out when the produce arrived warm — by which point the load was worthless and a dispute dragged on for weeks.
What We Did
We installed small IoT temperature sensors in each truck's reefer unit, feeding data over the mobile network to an AWS backend. Drivers use a simple Android app to confirm pickups, record handovers and flag exceptions. Dispatchers see a live map of every truck with its current temperature and ETA. If a reading drifts outside the agreed range for more than ten minutes, an automated alert goes to the duty manager and the customer.
All historical readings are stored immutably in S3. When a dispute arises, the customer can be shown the exact temperature timeline for the load — no more "he said, she said".
The Result
Temperature excursions are now detected within minutes instead of at the end of the week. Dispute resolution time dropped from days to hours because both parties can look at the same temperature graph. The company used the system to win two new B2B logistics contracts, because their customers required proof-of-temperature telematics that competitors could not provide.
IoT and mobile challenges
Working with refrigerated trucks in regional Victoria meant unreliable mobile coverage in parts of the network. We designed the driver app to work fully offline: the driver records readings and handovers on the phone, the app stores them locally, and syncs automatically when coverage returns. No data is lost, even in the middle of a grain belt with one bar of reception.
The temperature sensors themselves were chosen for long battery life — they run for two years on a single battery, which matters because a refrigerated trailer is not easy to open for maintenance. Data flows over the 4G network to AWS IoT Core, which routes readings into a time-series database and triggers alerts via SNS.
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Book a Free ConsultationFrequently Asked Questions
Do you work with IoT temperature sensors?
Yes. We deploy a mobile driver app, IoT temperature sensors and a live dispatch dashboard together. Temperature excursions are flagged within minutes, not at the end of the week.
Can proof-of-temperature telematics win us contracts?
Yes — and it did here. Two new B2B logistics contracts were won specifically because the business could provide the temperature telematics that competitors could not. It becomes a sales asset, not just a cost.
What does this kind of system cost?
Field-app-plus-IoT projects of this scale typically run $30,000–$70,000 depending on fleet size and hardware. We quote fixed price after scoping the fleet and the integration points.