Fleet managers and food transportation logistics professionals have to manage more responsibilities than most — keeping compliance, time pressures, and costs in mind at all times. Specialized cargo demands almost constant attention, especially if it’s subject to cold chain compliance.
Traditional, fragmented tools make it feel like you have to choose one goal over the other. A driver might meet a delivery window but can’t guarantee the cargo was compliant. Another decision might reduce expenses but risk a recall.
But these goals don’t have to be at odds.
How to tackle 3 big challenges in food transportation logistics
A unified solution for food transportation logistics unites data and tools in one platform — giving fleet managers the visibility and control needed to stay compliant and on schedule.
For example, for compliance, a reefer needs temperature sensors; for profitability, the reefer’s location needs to be connected with the driver’s fuel card to stop fraud; and for timeliness, the reefer’s condition needs to be transmitted back to the office to guarantee on-time intervention before a delay occurs. These varied data and tools are available in a single location through a platform such as the Motive Integrated Operations Platform.
The whole package came together for us with Motive.
1. Cut back on compliance failure
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) demands that fleets keep continuous records that can be audited. Fragmented records paired with the risk of mechanical failure are the biggest threats to compliance. If perishable goods need cold chain monitoring and the reefer fails, you’re also looking at financial loss.
Motive provides indisputable, centralized records for FSMA compliance. The Motive Dashboard stores reports with historical temperature and humidity logs. These reports contain specific time periods, assets, and data frequency, and they can easily be exported.
This way, instead of a compliance burden, you have a clean log of all required temperature and location data.
And if a reefer’s temperature starts rising, you can catch it right away to eliminate the chance of spoilage, loss of shipment, and compliance failure.
2. Stay on schedule
Collisions can cause a ripple effect across a delivery schedule, leading to significant delays and missed deadlines.
Motive helps reduce collision risk while giving managers the tools they need to coach drivers on safer driving behaviors.
The Motive AI Dashcam instantly detects high-risk behavior and sends in-cab alerts to modify behavior in real time. Ninety-two percent of Motive customers surveyed reported fewer accidents with Motive. And with fewer collisions and less downtime, drivers can stay safely on schedule.
Motive’s in-house safety team is made up of 400+ safety experts who watch every safety event video generated by the AI Dashcam. They remove false positives and improve the performance of our AI models.
3. Protect margins
Fuel fraud can threaten already tight margins. When you use disconnected fleet management and spend management systems, it’s difficult to block fraud. That’s because fraud prevention relies on data correlation across platforms — such as how much is being spent on which driver’s card and where.
For example, Motive’s Vehicle and Spend Location Mismatch feature – part of the Motive Card’s built-in fraud controls – automatically alerts managers when a card is being used away from a vehicle. Customizable spend controls help prevent issues like friendly fraud.
Cargo theft is another growing threat in food transportation. CargoNet reports a massive increase in food-and-beverage-related theft, particularly meat products and beverages — think of the double brokering scheme used to steal 24,000 bottles of Guy Fieri’s branded tequila. Motive’s 360° camera provides complete visibility around every vehicle, every second of the day. Added visibility gives organizations the video evidence needed to investigate cargo theft and recoup losses.
The challenges of food transportation logistics demand a powerful solution
The competing demands of food transportation logistics can feel impossible to handle manually or at scale. Effectively managing this trifecta of compliance, delivery schedules, and cost requires a powerful approach.
With the Motive Integrated Operations Platform, you have the visibility and control you need to keep shipments compliant, on time, and protected.
