Temperature-controlled transport is carriage in which the goods travel within a pre-defined temperature condition, and that condition is measured and recorded throughout the journey. The Turkish market uses two names for the same work, sıcaklık kontrollü and ısı kontrollü; there is no technical difference, and both appear in tenders and contracts.
What does the word control include?. The vehicle's cooling is only one part of the job. Control stands on three legs: holding the product condition, measuring it at a point that represents the goods, and tying the measurement to a record that matches the consignment. Remove one leg and the transport may be refrigerated, but it is not controlled.
The condition itself does not come from the carrier. In food it comes from the category's regulation, in pharmaceuticals from the marketing authorisation and distribution rules, in commercial cargo from the customer's specification. The transport arrangement does not debate that condition; it protects it.
Two ways to provide the cold
| Approach | Where the cold comes from | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Active | A refrigeration unit running on the vehicle | Long uninterrupted routes, large volumes |
| Passive | Pre-frozen plates inside an insulated container | Delivery rounds, mixed regimes in one vehicle, hired vehicles |
The choice follows the work, not the vehicle's name: route time, door and lid movements, how many regimes travel in one trip and the preparation capacity at the depot are weighed together. The cost and operating differences are examined separately in the comparison of active mobile cooling and the passive container.
Without a record there is no control
What an audit, a customer complaint or a damage file wants is not the vehicle's make: how the temperature ran over time, where the reading was taken, and who decided what when it deviated. Measurement point, recording interval and the deviation procedure must be in writing before the trip starts.
Frequently asked questions
Are ısı kontrollü and sıcaklık kontrollü transport the same thing?
They describe the same work. Logistics companies' pages tend to say ısı kontrollü, while regulatory translations and the pharmaceutical side prefer sıcaklık kontrollü. Whichever appears in the contract, what matters is whether the band, the measurement and the record are defined.
Is a reefer vehicle required for temperature-controlled transport?
No. A narrow condition on a long route calls for active cooling; on delivery rounds, a passive arrangement built from an insulated container and eutectic plates does the same job with a standard vehicle. The GEBHARDT Isotec programme is an example of that second route: the cold source is the pre-frozen plate inside the container.
