Why Manual Temperature Control Is a Risk
Transporting perishable goods requires strict adherence to temperature conditions. This problem is especially acute in winter, when dairy products can simultaneously freeze due to lack of insulation and overheat from a working heater. A driver focused on the road and unloading simply cannot constantly monitor sensor readings. Forgot to turn on the heating, missed the moment when you should switch it off — and the entire shipment is already unsellable. Human error remains the primary cause of temperature violations in road transport.
Automating Temperature Control with Easy Logic
The company developed a solution that completely eliminates human influence on temperature maintenance in a refrigerated body. Company specialists used the Easy Logic technology — a platform for creating control algorithms without programming skills. The user only needs to drag the necessary blocks onto the workspace and connect them together. The result is a system that independently manages climate equipment based on sensor readings.
A temperature sensor was installed in the upper part of the vehicle body. However, simply placing the sensor does not guarantee proper operation: warm air must reach the cargo, otherwise the device will show normal temperature at the top while it may be too cold at the bottom, near the goods. To solve this problem, the vehicle was equipped with a duct that directs warm air from the heater directly to the cargo.
How the Automated System Works
The key element of the system is a three-position switch. The first position activates automatic mode for the heater. The second and third positions allow the driver to manually turn the heating on or off if necessary. In normal mode, the driver does not perform any additional actions: the system regulates the temperature on its own.
The algorithm sets a temperature range in which the heater should operate. For example, with a minimum temperature of +3°C and a maximum of +8°C, the device runs until the temperature reaches the upper limit. After that, the heater turns off, allowing the readings to drop to the minimum value, and then starts again. This cycle repeats automatically throughout the entire transport. The temperature ranges can be set either via SMS commands or through the terminal configurator.
Operational Experience: Lessons from Testing
During the implementation of the automated system, challenges arose that helped improve the solution. One temperature sensor failed, and the heater, switched to automatic mode, began working continuously. The cargo started overheating, and the driver had to manually control the equipment again. This situation highlighted the importance of sensor monitoring and redundancy. After refining the algorithms, the system became more stable, and the ability to switch to manual mode remained as a backup mechanism.
Implementation Results
After installing the automatic heater mode on the Gazelle vehicles, the number of temperature regime violations decreased significantly. The temperature is maintained within the specified range of +3°C to +8°C throughout the entire transport, which substantially improved the quality of dairy product delivery. The driver is freed from the need to constantly monitor sensor readings and can focus on the road and unloading.
Galileosky terminals ensure continuous data collection from sensors and their transmission to the online telematics platform. The dispatcher sees the actual cargo temperature in real time and receives alerts when values go beyond the set limits. This allows prompt response to any deviations without waiting for the trip to end.
Benefits of a Comprehensive Solution
Automating temperature control reduces operating costs by decreasing the amount of defective goods and customer complaints. Transport quality improves since temperature is maintained within strictly defined boundaries without driver involvement. Driver convenience is another important advantage: automatic mode eliminates the need to constantly monitor sensor readings and switch the heater. The Galileosky telematics system provides a data historian that allows analysis of the temperature regime after trip completion. This is necessary for logistics quality control and confirming compliance with temperature requirements when handing over the cargo to the recipient.
Contact: sales@galileosky.com
