ColdTraq is a plug-in temperature monitoring module designed to track cold storage conditions anywhere along the cold chain — refrigerated trucks and trailers, distribution center walk-ins, warehouse coolers, staging areas, and beyond. Installation takes minutes: simply plug in the module and it auto-connects to the FreshTraq cloud portal with no calibration or manual connectivity setup required. The ColdTraq module mounts outside the refrigeration unit, which ensures a consistently reliable wireless signal. Once connected, temperature readings are transmitted in real time to the FreshTraq portal, where they are accessible from any phone, PC, or tablet. Alerts and data presentation are customizable. Multiple modules can be deployed across a single vehicle, warehouse, or entire fleet, giving you scalable end-to-end temperature visibility from a single dashboard. ColdTraq is a temperature-only monitoring device — it does not include a locking mechanism. For applications where physical access control is also required, FreshIQ health timer locks can be added to the same FreshTraq ecosystem.

The FSMA Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart O), effective June 2016, requires shippers and carriers of temperature-controlled food to use adequate temperature controls, precool vehicles before loading, maintain written procedures for temperature control and sanitation, and retain records for at least 12 months. Carriers must document that vehicles were precooled to the required temperature, that temperature was maintained throughout transit, and that any exceedance was identified and addressed. The rule puts primary responsibility on the shipper to specify temperature requirements, but the carrier is responsible for maintaining those conditions. ColdTraq’s automated, continuous temperature logging and FreshTraq’s exportable records directly satisfy the documentation requirements of this rule — replacing manual temperature logs that are prone to error, gaps, and lagging timeliness.

ColdTraq installs in a refrigerated truck or trailer in minutes and immediately begins logging internal temperature throughout the journey — from pre-load precooling through delivery. Data streams continuously to the FreshTraq portal, where it is stored and accessible for export at any time. When a receiver or shipper requests a complete temperature report for a shipment — as required by FSMA — you produce a precise, timestamped record showing the temperature at every point during transit. If an exceedance occurred, the record documents exactly when it began, its duration, and the temperatures reached. This is far more defensible in a regulatory or dispute context than a manually completed paper log or periodic spot checks.

The moment temperatures in a ColdTraq-equipped unit exceed your pre-set threshold, FreshTraq sends an immediate alert to your designated contact. This enables real-time response: the driver can be contacted to inspect the refrigeration unit, a service call can be dispatched, or routing can be adjusted to expedite delivery before the product is further compromised. Without real-time monitoring, temperature exceedances during transit are typically only discovered at delivery — too late to prevent product loss or the customer dispute that follows. ColdTraq converts a post-mortem problem into a live operational event that can be managed, documented, and resolved.

Yes. This is precisely what the ColdTraq and FreshTraq ecosystem is designed for. ColdTraq modules deploy wherever temperature needs to be tracked — fixed warehouse coolers and walk-ins, truck and trailer reefer units, staging and cross-dock coolers, or any point along your cold chain. All modules, regardless of location or asset type, report to the same FreshTraq portal. Your operations and compliance teams have a single dashboard showing real-time temperature status across your entire operation — fleet and facility — with individual location drill-down, historical performance data, and customizable alerts. This unified visibility is the foundation of an auditable, end-to-end cold chain compliance program.

FreshTraq retains complete, timestamped temperature logs in the cloud and can export data in standard formats. FSMA requires carriers and shippers to retain transportation records for at least 12 months — FreshTraq’s cloud storage satisfies this requirement with a tamper-evident, automated record that is more credible to regulators and legal reviewers than handwritten or spreadsheet logs. In a recall or foodborne illness investigation, the ability to produce precise temperature records for a specific truck, route, or storage period — showing exactly what conditions the product experienced at every moment — is a significant liability management asset.

Yes. Multiple ColdTraq modules can be deployed within a single trailer or vehicle, with each module monitoring a separate temperature zone independently. For mixed-load shipments — common in grocery and foodservice distribution where chilled and frozen products travel together — each zone is monitored against its own required temperature range, with separate alerts and records for each. This granular, zone-level documentation is important for FSMA compliance on complex loads where a single temperature reading does not capture the conditions experienced by every product category, and it provides the specificity needed to defend a temperature record when a shipper or receiver disputes the condition of a particular product.

Manual temperature logs have two fundamental problems for FSMA compliance: gaps and reliability. A driver completing a log at the start and end of a run captures two data points — not a continuous record of what happened during transit. A refrigeration unit that warmed for two hours in the middle of a run and recovered before delivery would never appear in a manual log. FSMA’s expectation of ‘adequate temperature controls’ and its documentation requirements are best satisfied by continuous, automated monitoring that captures the full temperature history. ColdTraq eliminates driver logging dependency entirely — the temperature record is automated, continuous, and stored to the FreshTraq cloud without requiring any action from the driver.